What is the mechanism of action between sodium benzoate (NaC6H5COO) and hydrochloric acid (HCl)?
I need to know where the electrons go in this reaction.
We can't draw mechanisms on this board.
The reaction between sodium benzoate (NaC6H5COO) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) involves the exchange of ions and the formation of a new compound. Let's break down the mechanism of action and look at where the electrons go in this reaction.
The chemical equation for the reaction is:
NaC6H5COO + HCl -> NaCl + C6H5COOH
Initially, NaC6H5COO is in aqueous solution and dissociates into sodium ions (Na+) and benzoate ions (C6H5COO-). Similarly, HCl is also in aqueous solution and dissociates into hydrogen ions (H+) and chloride ions (Cl-).
In a water solution, the sodium ions (Na+) and the chloride ions (Cl-) are spectator ions and do not participate directly in the reaction. Therefore, we will focus on the reaction between the benzoate ion (C6H5COO-) and the hydrogen ion (H+).
The benzoate ion (C6H5COO-) is a base and can accept a proton (H+) from the hydrogen ion (H+). This results in the transfer of a hydrogen atom from the acid to the base, forming a new compound.
During this process, the electrons participating in the reaction move between atoms. The hydrogen ion (H+) donates a proton (H+) to the benzoate ion (C6H5COO-) and forms a covalent bond.
The transfer of electrons can be represented as follows:
- The hydrogen ion (H+) shares its electron with the benzoate ion (C6H5COO-), resulting in the formation of a covalent bond between the hydrogen atom (H) from the acid and the oxygen atom (O) from the base.
- The electron pair from the shared bond goes to the benzoate ion, which now becomes neutral benzoic acid (C6H5COOH). The positive charge on the hydrogen ion (H+) is reduced as it loses an electron.
- As a result, the hydrogen ion (H+) transforms into a neutral hydrogen atom (H) by donating its electron to the benzoate ion (C6H5COO-), which becomes a neutral benzoic acid (C6H5COOH).
Overall, the reaction involves the transfer of a hydrogen ion (H+) from hydrochloric acid (HCl) to the benzoate ion (C6H5COO-), resulting in the formation of neutral benzoic acid (C6H5COOH) and chloride ion (Cl-).