Question

Why does a base fail to show basic behavior in absence of water?

Answer 1

Base:

1. A base is a molecule or ion that can receive a hydrogen ion from acid or dissociate in the presence of water to form an${\mathrm{OH}}^{-}$ ion.
2. The property of acidity or basicity is associated with the presence of ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ or ${\mathrm{OH}}^{-}$ ions which cannot be released in the absence of a solvent and since water is a universal solvent it would be required by the bases for the dissociation process:-

$\mathrm{NaOH}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)\stackrel{{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}}{\to }{\mathrm{Na}}^{+}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)+{\mathrm{OH}}^{-}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)$

1. So, we can say that a base does not break down into an ${\mathrm{OH}}^{-}$ ion in the absence of water. As a result, in the absence of water, it fails to show basic behavior.

Hence, basic behavior is shown only in presence of water.