Phosphoric acid reacts with magnesium carbonate to produce? When you predict the products and write a balanced equation the coefficient of phosphoric acid is

a.1
b.2
c.3
d.6
e.4

To predict the products and write a balanced equation for the reaction between phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄) and magnesium carbonate (MgCO₃), we need to first understand the chemical formulas of the reactants and products.

The chemical formula for phosphoric acid is H₃PO₄. It consists of one phosphorus atom (P), three hydrogen atoms (H), and four oxygen atoms (O).

The chemical formula for magnesium carbonate is MgCO₃. It consists of one magnesium atom (Mg), one carbon atom (C), and three oxygen atoms (O).

When phosphoric acid reacts with magnesium carbonate, they will undergo a double-replacement reaction. The hydrogen (H) from the acid will be replaced by the magnesium (Mg) from the carbonate, resulting in the formation of magnesium phosphate (Mg₃(PO₄)₂) and water (H₂O).

The balanced equation for the reaction is as follows:
2H₃PO₄ + 3MgCO₃ → Mg₃(PO₄)₂ + 3H₂O + 3CO₂

Now let's determine the coefficient of phosphoric acid. Looking at the balanced equation, we see that the coefficient of H₃PO₄ is 2. Therefore, the correct answer is:

b. 2

To determine the coefficients in the balanced equation for the reaction between phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and magnesium carbonate (MgCO3), we need to first write the chemical equation for the reaction.

The balanced equation is:

H3PO4 + MgCO3 → Mg3(PO4)2 + CO2 + H2O

From the equation, we can see that there is only one molecule of phosphoric acid reacting with one molecule of magnesium carbonate. Therefore, the coefficient of phosphoric acid (H3PO4) in the balanced equation is 1.

So, the correct answer is (a) 1.

What do you not understand about balancing an equation? This seems straight forward to me.