Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), also known as lye and caustic soda, is a caustic metallic base.

It is used in many industries, mostly as a strong chemical base in the manufacture of pulp and paper, textiles, drinking water, soaps and detergents and as a drain cleaner. Worldwide production in 1998 was around 45 million tonnes. Sodium hydroxide is a common base in chemical laboratories. Pure sodium hydroxide is a white solid; available in pellets, flakes, granules and as a 50% saturated solution. It is hygroscopic and readily absorbs water from the air, so it should be stored in an airtight container. It is very soluble in water with liberation of heat. It also dissolves in ethanol and methanol, though it exhibits lower solubility in these solvents than does potassium hydroxide. Molten sodium hydroxide is also a strong base, but the high temperature required limits applications. It is insoluble in ether and other non-polar solvents. A sodium hydroxide solution will leave a yellow stain on fabric and paper.

Chloralkali process
A Chloralkali process always implies the electrolysis of common salt or sodium chloride. Depending on the method several products beside hydrogen can be produced. If the products are separated, chlorine and sodium hydroxide are the products; by mixing, sodium hypochlorite or sodium chlorate are produced, depending on the temperature. Higher temperatures are needed for the production of sodium chlorate instead of sodium hypochlorite. Industrial scale production began in 1892. Using calcium chloride and potassium chloride the products contain calcium or potassium instead of sodium. The process has a high energy consumption, for example over 4 billion kWh per year in West Germany 1985, and produces equal (molar) amounts of chlorine and sodium hydroxide, which makes it necessary to find a use for the product for which there is less demand, usually the chlorine.

Procedures
There are two production methods in use. While the mercury cell method produces chlorine free sodium hydroxide the use of several tonnes of mercury leads to serious environmental problems. In normal production cycle a few hundred pounds of mercury per year are emitted which accumulate in the environment. Additionally, the chlorine and sodium hydroxide produced via the mercury-cell chloralkali process are themselves contaminated with trace amounts of mercury. The membrane and diaphragm method use no mercury, but the sodium hydroxide contains chlorine which has to be removed.