GChem question - chlorine bleaches

[ROCOCO8]

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This is a question off the OAT practice exam...

Chlorine bleaches are solutions that contain
approximately 5% NaClO. These solutions
are


A. slightly acidic.
B. strongly acidic.
C. neutral.
D. slightly basic.
E. strongly basic

the answer is D. slightly basic. i understand why it's basic but why only slightly? ClO- is the conjugate base of the weak acid HClO... wouldn't that make CLO- a strong base?

I guess i could interpret the "5%" has a little amount and therefore it's only weakly basic? but is this the right reasoning?

any ideas?

 

[blackberryman]

I have a question on this too, how do you know that ClO- is a conjugate base not a conjugate acid? Did you memorize the weak acids?

 

[Saiph]

ClO- is a base as an ion, and HClO is a weak acid, but it is slightly basic because it is not one of the strong bases like NaOH if you catch my drift. However, if you're comparing Cl- and ClO-, ClO- is a stronger base. (It does not mean it is a strong base). Hope that helps.