"Calculate the pH of NaCl".

I know that NaCl is neutral...but I don't know how to show that it is neutral. The ka value for the Cl ion is "very large", so what do I do?

Do for what? What's the question?

Sorry.

"Calculate the pH for 0.10 mol/L aqueous solution of NaCl".

I thought I remembered this from two/three nights ago. I have tried hints and more hints and it hasn't worked so I'll work the problem.

NaCl is the salt of a strong base (NaOH) and a strong acid (HCl); therefore, neither the Na^+ nor the Cl^- will hydrolyze in water solution (the only salts that will hydrolyze are those that will produce a weak acid or weak base or both). So all we have is a little salt in water and the ion product of water holds.
H2O ==> H^+ + OH^-

We call (H^+) = x
If (H^+) is x, then (OH^-) = x
We know that (H^+)(OH^-) = Kw = 1 x 10^-14.
(x)(x) = 1 x 10^-14
x2 = 1 x 10-14
x = sqrt(1 x 10-14
x = 1 x 10-7 Molar.
pH = -log(H^+)=-log(1 x 10-7) = 7.0

To determine the pH of a solution, you need to consider the presence of any dissociated ions that can affect the acidity or basicity of the solution. In the case of NaCl, when it dissolves in water, it dissociates into Na+ and Cl- ions.

The pH scale measures the hydrogen ion (H+) concentration in a solution. A neutral solution has an equal concentration of H+ and OH- ions, which results in a pH of 7. However, NaCl does not provide any additional H+ or OH- ions when dissolved in water, so it does not directly affect the pH of the solution.

The value of Ka (acid dissociation constant) for chloride ions (Cl-) is indeed very large, indicating that Cl- is a weak base. However, this does not contribute to the pH of the solution since pH is primarily concerned with the concentration of H+ ions.

In summary, NaCl is considered a neutral compound because it does not directly influence the pH of a solution. The pH of a NaCl solution will be close to 7 unless there are other factors or substances present that can alter the pH.