I've worked through this problem so many times and I keep getting the same thing yet when I submit it, it says its wrong.. Am I missing something?
Q:Calcium hydride (solid) reacts with water to form calcium hydroxide (aqueous) and hydrogen gas. Write a balanced chemical equation for the reaction.
My Answer: CaH2+2H2O ---> Ca(OH)+2H2
Ca is a +2 ion
so 2 OH (just like the 2 H)
CaH₂ + 2 H₂O --> Ca(OH)₂ + H₂
None of the equations are balanced.
sorry...should be 2 H₂
When balancing a chemical equation, it is important to make sure that the number of atoms on both sides of the equation is equal. It seems like the equation you provided is missing the correct stoichiometric coefficients.
Let's go through the process of balancing the equation step by step:
1. Recognize the reactants and products: The reactants are calcium hydride (CaH2) and water (H2O), and the products are calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) and hydrogen gas (H2).
2. Start by balancing the most complex compound: In this case, calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) has the most variety of elements, so let's begin with that. Since it has one calcium atom, one carbon atom, and two hydrogen atoms on the right side of the equation, we need to balance it on the left side as well. So, we can put a coefficient of 1 in front of Ca(OH)2.
CaH2 + H2O → Ca(OH)2 + H2
3. Balance the other elements one by one: Now let's balance the hydrogen atoms. On the right side, we have two hydrogen atoms from H2O and two from Ca(OH)2, giving us a total of four hydrogen atoms. Thus, we need four hydrogen atoms on the left side as well. To do this, we can place a coefficient of 2 in front of H2.
CaH2 + 2H2O → Ca(OH)2 + H2
4. Finally, check the calcium atoms: On the left side, we have one calcium atom from CaH2. On the right side, we have one calcium atom from Ca(OH)2. Therefore, the calcium atoms are already balanced.
The balanced chemical equation for the reaction between calcium hydride and water is:
CaH2 + 2H2O → Ca(OH)2 + H2
Make sure to double-check your answer and see if it matches this balanced equation.