If calcium oxide is added to sea water a number of changes occur. first calcium oxide reacts with water to form calcium hydroxide. What is the equations
CaO + H2O --> Ca(OH)2
I suspect :)
To determine the equation for the reaction between calcium oxide (CaO) and water (H2O) to form calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2), we need to consider the respective chemical formulas and balance the equation correctly.
The reaction can be represented as follows:
CaO + H2O → Ca(OH)2
To balance this equation, we need to ensure that the same number of atoms of each element appear on both sides. Let's balance the equation step by step:
1. Count the number of atoms for each element on both sides:
Ca: 1 on the left, 1 on the right
O: 1 on the left, 2 on the right
H: 2 on the left, 2 on the right
2. Start by balancing the oxygen atoms by adding a coefficient of 2 before Ca(OH)2:
CaO + H2O → 2Ca(OH)2
Now, let's re-count the atoms:
Ca: 1 on the left, 2 on the right
O: 1 on the left, 4 on the right
H: 2 on the left, 4 on the right
3. Balance the hydrogen atoms by placing a coefficient of 2 before H2O:
CaO + 2H2O → 2Ca(OH)2
Now the equation is balanced:
1 Ca atom on the left = 2 Ca atoms on the right
1 O atom on the left = 4 O atoms on the right
2 H atoms on the left = 4 H atoms on the right
Therefore, the balanced equation for the reaction between calcium oxide and water to form calcium hydroxide is:
CaO + 2H2O → 2Ca(OH)2