How many moles of Mg(OH)2 are needed to completely neutralize 4.42 mol HNO3? Describe the strength of the acids and bases involved in this reaction.
Mg(OH)2 + 2HNO3 ==> Mg(NO3)2 + 2H2O
From the equation it takes 1/2 mol Mg(OH)2 to neutralize 1 mol HNO3 so it will take 1/2 x 4.42 = ? to neutralize 4.42 mols HNO3.
To determine the number of moles of Mg(OH)2 needed to neutralize 4.42 mol of HNO3, we first need to understand the stoichiometry of the reaction between Mg(OH)2 and HNO3.
The balanced chemical equation for the reaction between Mg(OH)2 and HNO3 is:
2 HNO3 + Mg(OH)2 → Mg(NO3)2 + 2 H2O
From the balanced equation, we can see that the stoichiometric ratio between HNO3 and Mg(OH)2 is 2:1. This means that 2 moles of HNO3 are required to react with 1 mole of Mg(OH)2.
Given that we have 4.42 mol of HNO3, we can calculate the required moles of Mg(OH)2 using stoichiometry:
4.42 mol HNO3 × (1 mol Mg(OH)2/2 mol HNO3) = 2.21 mol Mg(OH)2
Therefore, we need 2.21 moles of Mg(OH)2 to completely neutralize 4.42 mol of HNO3.
Now let's discuss the strength of the acids and bases involved in this reaction.
HNO3 is a strong acid. Strong acids ionize completely in water, releasing all of their hydrogen ions (H+) and the corresponding anions. In the case of HNO3, it ionizes into H+ and NO3- ions.
Mg(OH)2 is a strong base. Strong bases also undergo complete ionization in water, releasing all the hydroxide ions (OH-). In the case of Mg(OH)2, it dissociates into Mg2+ and 2 OH- ions.
The reaction between the strong acid HNO3 and the strong base Mg(OH)2 is a neutralization reaction, resulting in the formation of a salt (Mg(NO3)2) and water (H2O).