Question

when olive oil and sodium hydroxide are mixed together, soap and glycerol are made. the solubility of each of the materials are shown in the table below.

material	olive oil	sodium hydroxide	soap	glycerol

what is the best conclusion, based on the information given?

a. this is not a chemical reaction because all of the materials are liquids and can be completely dissolved in water

b. this is a chemical reaction because the materials that were mixed have different solubilities than the materials that were made.

c. this is a chemical reaction because all of the materials used can be combined with water to produce a mixture

d. this is not a chemical reaction because all of the materials mixed can be dissolved in water, and dissolving is a physical change.

Explanation:

A chemical reaction produces new substances with distinct properties. The reactants (olive oil: not soluble; sodium hydroxide: very soluble) have different solubilities than the products (soap: soluble; glycerol: soluble). This property change indicates a chemical reaction. Option A is wrong (not all are soluble/completely dissolved). Option C is wrong (mixture production isn’t a chemical reaction sign). Option D is wrong (olive oil isn’t soluble, and dissolving isn’t the case here).

Answer:

B. This is a chemical reaction because the materials that were mixed have different solubilities than the materials that were made.