Identify the oxide which forms the strongest base:

Options

A. MgO
B. `AI_(2)O_(3)`
C. `Na_(2)O`
D. `CaO`

Answer

To identify the oxide that forms the strongest base, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Nature of Metal Oxides
Metal oxides can be classified based on their basicity. Generally, metal oxides are basic in nature, and the strength of the base depends on the electropositivity of the metal.

**Hint:** Remember that more electropositive metals tend to form stronger bases.

### Step 2: Identify Electropositive Metals
Among the metals, Group 1 elements (alkali metals) are known to be highly electropositive. This means they have a strong tendency to lose their outermost electron, which contributes to the formation of strong bases.

**Hint:** Focus on Group 1 elements when considering strong bases.

### Step 3: Compare with Other Groups
While Group 1 metals are very electropositive, we also have Group 2 metals (alkaline earth metals) and other metals. However, Group 2 metals are less electropositive than Group 1 metals, which means their oxides are generally less basic.

**Hint:** Compare the electropositivity of metals in different groups.

### Step 4: Identify Specific Oxides
For example, sodium (Na) from Group 1 forms sodium oxide (Na2O), which is a strong base. Other metals like magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) from Group 2 form magnesium oxide (MgO) and calcium oxide (CaO), respectively, but these are not as strong as sodium oxide.

**Hint:** Look for the specific oxides formed by the most electropositive metals.

### Step 5: Conclusion
Based on the analysis, sodium oxide (Na2O) is identified as the oxide that forms the strongest base due to the high electropositivity of sodium.

**Final Answer:** Sodium oxide (Na2O) forms the strongest base.