What volume of 2.0 N KOH is required to neutralize 40 mL of 0.5 N HCl?

To determine the volume of 2.0 N KOH required to neutralize 40 mL of 0.5 N HCl, it's essential to understand the concept of normality and stoichiometry in acid-base reactions.

In this scenario, both HCl and KOH are strong acid and base respectively, and they will react in a one-to-one ratio. The normality (N) of a solution indicates the equivalent concentration of a substance that can react in a particular reaction, which makes it a suitable measure for acid-base neutralization.

First, calculate the equivalent of HCl present in the 40 mL solution using its normality:

[

\text{Equivalents of HCl} = \text{Volume (L)} \times \text{Normality (N)}

]

[

= 0.040 , \text{L} \times 0.5 , \text{N} = 0.020 , \text{equivalents}

]

Since KOH neutralizes HCl in a 1:1 ratio, we require the same number of equivalents from KOH to completely neutralize the HCl. Therefore, we also need 0.020