Balance and complete equation
H2SO4 + Na2CO3 ---> Na2SO4 + H2O + CO2
right.
To balance this chemical equation, you need to make sure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation. Here's how you can do it:
H2SO4 + Na2CO3 → Na2SO4 + H2O + CO2
Let's start by counting the number of atoms on each side:
On the left side (reactants):
- Hydrogen (H): 2 atoms
- Sulfur (S): 1 atom
- Oxygen (O): 4 atoms
- Sodium (Na): 2 atoms
- Carbon (C): 1 atom
On the right side (products):
- Sodium (Na): 2 atoms
- Sulfur (S): 1 atom
- Oxygen (O): 5 atoms
- Hydrogen (H): 2 atoms
- Carbon (C): 1 atom
The equation is currently unbalanced, as the number of atoms is not the same on both sides.
To balance the equation, start by adjusting one element at a time, using coefficients. Let's begin with the hydrogen atoms:
H2SO4 + Na2CO3 → Na2SO4 + H2O + CO2
There are 2 hydrogen atoms on the left and 2 on the right. Therefore, the hydrogen atoms are already balanced.
Next, let's balance the oxygen atoms:
H2SO4 + Na2CO3 → Na2SO4 + H2O + CO2
On the left side, there are 4 oxygen atoms (2 from sulfuric acid and 2 from carbon dioxide), while on the right side, there are 5 oxygen atoms (4 from sodium sulfate and 1 from water). To balance the oxygen atoms, we need to add a coefficient of 5 in front of H2O:
H2SO4 + Na2CO3 → Na2SO4 + 5H2O + CO2
Now, let's balance the sodium atoms:
H2SO4 + Na2CO3 → Na2SO4 + 5H2O + CO2
On the left side, there are 2 sodium atoms, while on the right side, there are also 2 sodium atoms. Therefore, the sodium atoms are balanced.
Lastly, let's balance the sulfur and carbon atoms:
H2SO4 + Na2CO3 → Na2SO4 + 5H2O + CO2
To balance the sulfur atom, we need to add a coefficient of 1 in front of Na2SO4:
H2SO4 + Na2CO3 → Na2SO4 + 5H2O + CO2
To balance the carbon atom, we need to add a coefficient of 1 in front of CO2:
H2SO4 + Na2CO3 → Na2SO4 + 5H2O + CO2
The final balanced equation is:
H2SO4 + Na2CO3 → Na2SO4 + 5H2O + CO2