Sodium hydroxide
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sodium hydroxide is also known as caustic soda. Caustic means "burning" and caustic soda takes its name from the way it can burn your skin. It has the chemical formula of NaOH.
It is a base, meaning it has a very high pH. It is the most common thing used to raise the pH of things; for example, to neutralize an acid.
It dissolves easily in water, and makes the water warm when this happens.
Sodium hydroxide is used as a solution named Lye to make soap. Lye is also used to unclog drains. It works in two ways. First, it combines with grease to make soap. Second, it dissolves hair (which is soluble in any basic solution).
