I would like my equation checked, sodium cyanide and water.I have worked the balanced equation as: NaCN+H20=NaOH+HCN.

Question

I would like my equation checked, sodium cyanide and water.I have worked the balanced equation as: NaCN+H20=NaOH+HCN.

If you want the molecular equation this looks good to me. Actually, it's the CN^- that is hydrolyzed (reacts with water) and the ionic equation is
CN^- + HOH ==> HCN + OH^-

In the old days they called this hydrolysis. Now the line is that this is a Bronsted-Lowry acid/base reaction and CN^- is a stronger base (proton acceptor) than H2O and pulls a H^+ away from water.

What happens to the Na during hydrolysis

Answer 1

During hydrolysis, the sodium (Na) ion remains unchanged and does not participate in the reaction. It simply acts as a spectator ion in the solution. In the balanced equation you provided, NaCN dissociates into Na+ and CN^- ions. The CN^- ion undergoes hydrolysis by reacting with water, while the Na+ ion remains in solution. Therefore, the presence of sodium in the equation does not change during the hydrolysis reaction.