How many grams of NaOH are needed to neutralize 50 grams of H2SO4

To find out how many grams of NaOH are needed to neutralize 50 grams of H2SO4, we can follow these steps:

1. Determine the balanced chemical equation for the reaction between NaOH and H2SO4.

NaOH + H2SO4 → Na2SO4 + 2H2O

2. Determine the molar masses of the compounds involved.

NaOH: 22.99 (Na) + 15.999 (O) + 1.008 (H) = 39.997 g/mol
H2SO4: (1.008 * 2) (H) + 32.06 (S) + (15.999 * 4) (O) = 98.076 g/mol

3. Determine the moles of H2SO4 in the given mass.

50 g H2SO4 × (1 mol H2SO4 / 98.076 g H2SO4) = 0.5098 mol H2SO4

4. Determine the stoichiometric ratio between NaOH and H2SO4 in the balanced chemical equation.

From the balanced chemical equation, 1 mole of H2SO4 reacts with 2 moles of NaOH.

Ratio = 1 H2SO4 : 2 NaOH

5. Determine the moles of NaOH needed to react with the given moles of H2SO4.

0.5098 mol H2SO4 × (2 mol NaOH / 1 mol H2SO4) = 1.0196 mol NaOH

6. Determine the mass of NaOH needed based on its molar mass.

1.0196 mol NaOH × (39.997 g NaOH / 1 mol NaOH) = 40.78 g NaOH

So, approximately 40.78 grams of NaOH are needed to neutralize 50 grams of H2SO4.