Question

State whether the above chemical reaction is balanced or not. From the number of atoms present in the reactants and products, fill in the blanks:

Hint:

Remember: In a balanced chemical reaction, the number of atoms of each element should be the same on both sides of the equation.

Answer 1

The chemical equation is given as: 2NaOH + H₂SO₄ → Na₂SO₄ + H₂O We need to check whether this reaction is balanced by comparing the number of atoms of each element on both sides. - Sodium (Na): 2 atoms (from 2 NaOH)
- Oxygen (O): 2 atoms (from 2 NaOH) + 4 atoms (from H2SO4) = 6 atoms
- Hydrogen (H): 2 atoms (from NaOH) + 2 atoms (from H2SO4) = 4 atoms
- Sulfur (S): 1 atom (from H2SO4) - Sodium (Na): 2 atoms (from Na2SO4)
- Oxygen (O): 4 atoms (from Na2SO4) + 1 atom (from H2O) = 5 atoms
- Hydrogen (H): 2 atoms (from H2O)
- Sulfur (S): 1 atom (from Na2SO4) We can see that the number of oxygen and hydrogen atoms is not the same on both sides. The equation is not balanced.