How to balance reaction of solid calcium carbide (CaC2) with excess water to form acetylene gas (C2H2) and solid calcium hydroxide?
CaC2+2H2O=>C2H2+Ca(OH)2
To balance the reaction of solid calcium carbide (CaC2) with excess water to form acetylene gas (C2H2) and solid calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2), follow these steps:
Step 1: Write the unbalanced equation.
CaC2 + H2O → C2H2 + Ca(OH)2
Step 2: Count the number of atoms on each side of the equation.
On the left side: 1 Ca, 2 C, and 2 O atoms
On the right side: 2 C and 4 H atoms, and 1 Ca and 2 O atoms
Step 3: Start balancing the equation by adjusting the elements that appear in the fewest number of compounds. In this case, we will start with hydrogen (H).
Step 4: Balance hydrogen (H) atoms.
On the left side, there are 2 hydrogen atoms from water, so we need 2 acetylene molecules (C2H2) on the right side to balance it.
CaC2 + H2O → 2C2H2 + Ca(OH)2
Step 5: Balance oxygen (O) atoms.
On the left side, there are 2 oxygen atoms from water and 2 oxygen atoms from calcium hydroxide (OH group), which gives us a total of 4 oxygen atoms. To balance this, we add a coefficient of 2 in front of calcium hydroxide on the right side.
CaC2 + H2O → 2C2H2 + 2Ca(OH)2
Step 6: Balance calcium (Ca) atoms.
On the left side, we have 1 calcium atom from calcium carbide. To balance it, we add a coefficient of 1 in front of the calcium hydroxide on the right side.
CaC2 + H2O → 2C2H2 + Ca(OH)2
Step 7: Balance carbon (C) atoms.
On the left side, we have 2 carbon atoms from calcium carbide. To balance it, we place a coefficient of 1 in front of calcium carbide.
1CaC2 + H2O → 2C2H2 + Ca(OH)2
After following these steps, the balanced equation for the reaction of solid calcium carbide (CaC2) with excess water to form acetylene gas (C2H2) and solid calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) is:
1CaC2 + 2H2O → 2C2H2 + 1Ca(OH)2