An acid is added to NaOH in a neutralization reaction that produces water and NaCl as products. What is the acid?

1 Answer
Mar 31, 2017

#HCl# Hydrochloric acid

Explanation:

# HCl + NaOH = H_2O + NaCl#

Sodium Chloride #NaCl# needs a chlorine atoms as well as the sodium atom from the sodium hydroxide. # NaOH#

The Hydroxide ion #OH^-1# needs a second Hydrogen atom to become water # H_2O#

The missing atomic ions are Hydrogen #H^+1# and Chorine #Cl^-1#

So the acid must #HCl# Hydrochloric acid