JAMB - Chemistry (2009 - No. 19)
The salt formed from a reaction between citric acid and sodium hydroxide in solution will be?
acidic
basic
complex
neutral
Explanation
Citric acid has 3 carboxyl groups, therefore, when reacts with NaOH, there is a simple salification reaction that will produce the trisodium citrate / sodium citrate.
Trisodium citrate is a tribasic salt of citric acid. It is produced by complete neutralization of citric acid with high purity sodium hydroxide or carbonate and subsequent crystallization and dehydration.