As a chemistry expert with a focus on acid-base chemistry, I can provide a detailed explanation regarding the nature of NACN, which stands for sodium cyanide, and its classification as an acid or base.

Sodium cyanide is a salt formed from the reaction of a strong base, sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and a weak acid, hydrocyanic acid (HCN). The general rule in chemistry is that a salt derived from a strong base and a weak acid will result in a basic solution when dissolved in water. This is due to the hydrolysis of the anion from the weak acid, which can accept a proton from water, forming its conjugate acid and releasing hydroxide ions (OH^-), which are basic.

Let's delve deeper into the chemistry behind this phenomenon. When NaCN is dissolved in water, the cyanide ion (CN^-) can undergo hydrolysis, which is the process where the ion reacts with water to form a weak acid and a hydroxide ion. The reaction can be represented as follows:

\[ \text{CN}^- + \text{H}_2\text{O} \rightleftharpoons \text{HCN} + \text{OH}^- \]

In this reaction, the cyanide ion (CN^-) acts as a base by accepting a proton (H^+) from water, forming hydrocyanic acid (HCN) and hydroxide ions (OH^-). The presence of hydroxide ions is what imparts basicity to the solution.

The pH value you mentioned, 11.1 for a 0.1 M solution of NaCN, indicates that the solution is indeed basic. A pH of 7 is considered neutral, and a pH greater than 7 indicates a basic solution. The fact that the pH is significantly above 7 confirms the basic nature of the NaCN solution.

It's important to note that the strength of an acid or base is determined by its ability to donate or accept protons. A strong acid completely dissociates in water, donating all its protons, while a weak acid only partially dissociates. Similarly, a strong base completely accepts protons, while a weak base does so to a lesser extent. In the case of NaCN, the hydrocyanic acid (HCN) formed is a weak acid, and thus the solution is basic due to the hydrolysis of the cyanide ion.

In conclusion, NACN is not a strong acid; in fact, it is a salt that results in a basic solution when dissolved in water. This basicity arises from the hydrolysis of the cyanide ion, which acts as a base by accepting a proton from water, leading to the formation of hydrocyanic acid and hydroxide ions, which are responsible for the basic nature of the solution.

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The pH of a 0.1 M solution of NaCN has a pH = 11.1. How can this solution be basic? Notice what happens here, the cyanide ion accepts a proton from water to form its conjugate acid, HCN, and hydroxide, the strongest base that exists in water. It is this prescence of hydroxide that makes the salt solution basic.read more >>