Soda-lime is an aggressively basic mixture utilized to forcibly decarboxylate the sodium salts of carboxylic acids into alkanes upon heating. To prepare a standard, effective soda-lime mixture, what i

Question

Soda-lime is an aggressively basic mixture utilized to forcibly decarboxylate the sodium salts of carboxylic acids into alkanes upon heating. To prepare a standard, effective soda-lime mixture, what is the integer representing the required molar ratio of Sodium Hydroxide ($NaOH$) to Calcium Oxide ($CaO$)?

Prashant Kotian · Accepted Answer

Correct answer: 3. Soda-lime is prepared by mixing Sodium Hydroxide () and Calcium Oxide (quicklime, ) in a fixed 3:1 ratio. The is crucial as it keeps the highly hygroscopic dry and porous, preventing it from melting and etching the glass vessel during the high-heat decarboxylation process.

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