If the hydroxide ion (OH-) concentration is greater than the hydronium ion (H3O+) concentration, then what is the solution?
A.
acidic
B.
basic
C.
neutral
D.
salty
B. basic
If the hydroxide ion (OH-) concentration is greater than the hydronium ion (H3O+) concentration, then the solution is basic (Answer B). In basic solutions, the concentration of hydroxide ions is greater than the concentration of hydronium ions.
To determine the nature of a solution based on the concentrations of hydroxide ion (OH-) and hydronium ion (H3O+), we can use the concept of pH and pOH.
pH is a scale used to measure the acidity or basicity of a solution. A pH value less than 7 represents an acidic solution, a pH value greater than 7 represents a basic solution, and a pH value of 7 represents a neutral solution.
pOH is the negative logarithm of the hydroxide ion concentration (OH-) in moles per liter. Similarly, a pOH value less than 7 represents a basic solution, a pOH value greater than 7 represents an acidic solution, and a pOH value of 7 represents a neutral solution.
Since the question states that the concentration of OH- is greater than the concentration of H3O+, it means that the pOH will be less than the pH. In other words, the solution will have a higher concentration of hydroxide ions (making it basic) compared to the concentration of hydronium ions.
Therefore, the answer is B. basic.