why does it take more NaOH to neutralize H2SO4 than in HCl
For the same volume and molarity it takes twice as much NaOH for H2SO4. HCl you are neutralizing 1 H ion. For H2SO4 you are neutralizing 2 H ions.
The reason it takes more NaOH (sodium hydroxide) to neutralize H2SO4 (sulfuric acid) compared to HCl (hydrochloric acid) is due to the difference in their chemical formulas and stoichiometry.
When sodium hydroxide reacts with an acid, such as sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid, it undergoes a neutralization reaction. The general equation for this reaction can be represented as:
acid + base → salt + water
In the case of HCl, the reaction can be written as:
HCl + NaOH → NaCl + H2O
In this reaction, one molecule of HCl reacts with one molecule of NaOH to produce one molecule of NaCl (sodium chloride) and one molecule of water.
However, when it comes to sulfuric acid (H2SO4), the reaction is slightly different. Sulfuric acid is a diprotic acid, which means it can donate two protons (H+) per molecule. Therefore, the reaction between sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide can be expressed as:
H2SO4 + 2NaOH → Na2SO4 + 2H2O
In this reaction, each molecule of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) requires two molecules of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to neutralize it completely, leading to the formation of sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) and two molecules of water (H2O).
Since sulfuric acid has two acidic hydrogen atoms in each molecule compared to hydrochloric acid, it takes twice the amount of sodium hydroxide to neutralize it completely.
To summarize, the difference in the amount of NaOH required to neutralize H2SO4 compared to HCl is due to the difference in the number of acidic hydrogen atoms present in each acid molecule.
The reason it takes more sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to neutralize sulfuric acid (H2SO4) compared to hydrochloric acid (HCl) is due to the difference in acid dissociation.
When an acid dissociates, it releases hydrogen ions (H+). The more hydrogen ions a solution contains, the higher its acidity. The concentration of hydrogen ions determines the equivalent amount of base required to neutralize the acid. In other words, neutralization occurs when the number of moles of base is equal to the number of moles of acid.
Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is a strong acid that completely dissociates in water, meaning it releases all of its hydrogen ions. The reaction of HCl with NaOH can be represented as follows:
HCl(aq) + NaOH(aq) → NaCl(aq) + H2O(l)
As HCl fully dissociates, the stoichiometry of the balanced equation tells us that 1 mole of HCl reacts with 1 mole of NaOH.
On the other hand, sulfuric acid (H2SO4) is a diprotic acid, which means it can donate two hydrogen ions per molecule. However, the first dissociation step is strong while the second one is weak. The reactions can be represented as:
H2SO4(aq) + H2O(l) ↔ H3O+(aq) + HSO4-(aq)
HSO4-(aq) + H2O(l) ↔ H3O+(aq) + SO42-(aq)
Since the first dissociation is complete, we usually consider that one mole of H2SO4 releases two moles of H+ ions. Therefore, the equivalent amount of NaOH needed to neutralize the acid is twice as much as HCl.
To summarize, it takes more NaOH to neutralize H2SO4 compared to HCl because H2SO4 is a diprotic acid.