Question:medium

Solubility of CaO in water is:

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Exothermic reactions release heat, and the dissolution of CaO in water is an example of such a reaction.
Updated On: Jul 6, 2026
  • Chermic
  • Endothermic
  • Exothermic
  • Hypothermic
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The Correct Option is C

Approach Solution - 1

Step 1: Concept.
CaO reacts with water as CaO + H2O to Ca(OH)2, and this reaction releases heat instead of absorbing it.

Step 2: Check the options.
Chermic and Hypothermic are not real chemistry terms, and Endothermic would mean the mixture cools down, which is not what happens with slaked lime formation.

Step 3: Final Answer.
The dissolution of CaO in water is Exothermic.
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Approach Solution -2

A practical way to answer this is to think about where calcium oxide is actually used and what happens physically when it meets water.

  1. Chermic: Builders and masons never describe slaking lime with this word because it is not a recognised term in chemistry or in the trade.
  2. Endothermic: If the process were endothermic, mixing quicklime with water would cool the mixture down, but anyone who has watched lime being slaked knows the container gets hot, sometimes hot enough to boil off some water.
  3. Exothermic: Quicklime (CaO) is mixed with water on construction sites precisely because the reaction gives off strong heat while forming slaked lime, Ca(OH)2. This releases heat, matching the everyday observation.
  4. Hypothermic: This term belongs to describing a living body losing heat, not a chemical reaction, so it has no place here.

The heat given off when slaking lime is a well-known practical sign that the process is exothermic.

So the correct answer is Exothermic.

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