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Kaumbo Cletus

Which is the strongest base among NaOH, KOH, LiOH, and CsOH?

Bob Spencer  Follow

CsOH.

A nice summary of what is known about these bases can be found at:

Is LiOH a weaker base than NaOH?

(covers LiOH, NaOH, KOH, RbOH, and CsOH). Bottom line is that the order of basicity is:

CsOH > RbOH > KOH > NaOH > LiOH

A rationale for this order is based on the relative electronegativity of the cations. The order of basicity appears to be inversely related to the electronegativity. Thus the more electropositive the more the cation may associate with the OH-, making it less available to act as a base.

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Carolina Kishwaukee  Follow

CsOH

As the size of Cs is very larger than the OH-, therefore lower will be the ionisation energy. As a result easier it would be to break the M-OH bond in water.

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