balance
H2SO4 + NaOH --> H2O + Na2SO4
Hint:
again, start by balancing the "H".
2NaOH + H2SO4 ------> Na2SO4 + 2H2O
The given equation is a chemical equation, which represents a chemical reaction between sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to produce water (H2O) and sodium sulfate (Na2SO4).
To balance this equation, we need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation. Here's how you can balance it step by step:
Step 1: Count the number of atoms for each element on both sides of the equation:
H: 2 on the left, 2 on the right
S: 1 on the left, 1 on the right
O: 4 on the left, 5 on the right
Na: 1 on the left, 2 on the right
Step 2: Balance the atoms that appear in different numbers on each side of the equation. In this case, we'll start with Sodium (Na) and Oxygen (O).
To balance Sodium (Na):
Since there is 1 Na on the left and 2 Na on the right, we need to put a 2 in front of NaOH on the left side: H2SO4 + 2NaOH
To balance Oxygen (O):
There are 4 oxygen atoms on the left side and 5 on the right side. Since 5 is an odd number, it's easier to balance oxygen by adjusting the coefficient of H2O. We can put a 4 in front of H2O to give us 4 oxygen atoms on each side: H2SO4 + 2NaOH --> 4H2O
Now, let's recheck the atom count:
H: 2 on the left, 8 on the right
S: 1 on the left, 1 on the right
O: 4 on the left, 4 on the right
Na: 2 on the left, 2 on the right
All the atoms are now balanced, so the balanced equation is:
H2SO4 + 2NaOH --> 4H2O + Na2SO4