1. The effervescent tablet contains sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), which reacts with water in the following reaction:
H2O + NaHCO3 NaOH + CO2 + H2O
Count the number of each element on each side of the equation and record below:
2. Is this reaction balanced? Explain.
so, did you count the atoms on both sides?
are they the same for all elements?
Yes I think so Hydrogen has 3 reactents 5 products, carbon has 3 & 3, Oxygen has 5 &5, and sodium has 1 &1
I don't believe much of what you answered for oobleck but I have a more profound question. Where did you get a screwball reaction like this?
To count the number of each element on each side of the equation, we need to break down the equation and look at each element separately.
On the left side of the equation, we have:
- Hydrogen (H): There are two hydrogen atoms in the water molecule (H2O).
- Oxygen (O): There is one oxygen atom in the water molecule (H2O).
- Sodium (Na): There is one sodium atom in the sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3).
- Carbon (C): There is one carbon atom in the sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3).
On the right side of the equation, we have:
- Hydrogen (H): There are two hydrogen atoms in the water molecule (H2O) and one hydrogen atom in the sodium hydroxide (NaOH), totaling three.
- Oxygen (O): There are two oxygen atoms in the water molecule (H2O) and one oxygen atom in the sodium hydroxide (NaOH), totaling three.
- Sodium (Na): There is one sodium atom in the sodium hydroxide (NaOH).
- Carbon (C): There is one carbon atom in the carbon dioxide (CO2).
Now let's compare the elements on both sides:
- Hydrogen (H): On the left side, there are 2 hydrogen atoms, and on the right side, there are 3 hydrogen atoms. The equation is not balanced for hydrogen.
- Oxygen (O): On the left side, there is 1 oxygen atom, and on the right side, there are 3 oxygen atoms. The equation is not balanced for oxygen.
- Sodium (Na): On the left side, there is 1 sodium atom, and on the right side, there is 1 sodium atom. The equation is balanced for sodium.
- Carbon (C): On the left side, there is 1 carbon atom, and on the right side, there is 1 carbon atom. The equation is balanced for carbon.
Based on the element counts, we can see that the equation is not balanced for hydrogen and oxygen.
To balance the equation, we need to adjust the coefficients in front of the molecules to ensure an equal number of atoms of each element on both sides. In this case, we can balance the equation by multiplying the water (H2O) molecule by 3 on the left side:
3H2O + NaHCO3 NaOH + CO2 + H2O
Now, let's count the elements again:
- Hydrogen (H): On the left side, there are 6 hydrogen atoms (3 x 2), and on the right side, there are 6 hydrogen atoms. The equation is now balanced for hydrogen.
- Oxygen (O): On the left side, there are 3 oxygen atoms (3 x 1), and on the right side, there are 3 oxygen atoms. The equation is now balanced for oxygen.
- Sodium (Na): On the left side, there is 1 sodium atom, and on the right side, there is 1 sodium atom. The equation is balanced for sodium.
- Carbon (C): On the left side, there is 1 carbon atom, and on the right side, there is 1 carbon atom. The equation is balanced for carbon.
Therefore, after balancing the equation, we can conclude that it is indeed balanced.