.01 mols of a weak acid is dissolved in .1 L of water. That solution is then reacted with .01 mols of NaOH. Would the resulting solution be acidic, basic, or neutral? Why? What reaction equations support the explanation?

Question

I think the answer is that the resulting solution would be basic because NaOH is strong and the acid is weak but I'm not sure what reaction equation explains that.

Answer 1

It isn't a matter of strong base vs weak acid as much as it is the number of mols of each and how the salt reacts with H2O.
HA + NaOH ==> H2O + NaA
mols HA = 0.01
mols NaOH = 0.01
So the solution EXACTLY neutralizes and there is no excess NaOH or HA. You might think the solution would therefore be neutral and it would be if it were a strong acid neutralizing a strong base. You are absolutely right; the solution will be basic. The reason is because the anion of the weak acid hydrolyzes in H2O as
A^- + HOH --> HA + OH^-
and the excess OH^- ions makes the solution slightly basic.
For example, a solution of acetic acid and HCl gives sodium acetate. When acetic acid and HCl are mixed in exact molar quantities, the salt produced is sodium acetate and the pH is not 7.0 but about 8.3 or so.