How do you predict the products of #"H"_2"SO"_4" + NaOH"#?
2 Answers
Learning how to predict the products of a chemical reaction requires instruction, experience, and research. Being able to recognize the type of chemical reaction will help you be able predict the products of the reaction. The reaction between sulfuric acid,
A neutralization reaction is a type of double replacement reaction in which the reactants are an acid and a base, and the products are a salt and water (acid + base
In order to predict what the products of a chemical reaction will be you must first be familiar with the six types of chemical reactions: synthesis, decomposition, single replacement, double replacement, acid-base, and combustion.
I can't walk you through all of them since it would make for a very, very long answer; however, I'll show you in detail the example you have.
Each of these reaction types has typical characteristics that allow you to figure out what the products of the reaction will be. For example, the reaction you've chosen is an acid-base reaction (also known as a neutralization reaction).
In this particular case, a strong acid,
For this type of reaction you must also be familiar with complete and net ionic equations. Make sure that you understand what the
In this case, the reaction takes place in aqueous solution, hence the
This represent the complete ionic equation. If you eliminate the spectator ions, i.e. the ions present on both sides of the reaction, you'll get the net ionic equation
As a conclusion, you must become familiar with the various types of chemical reactions if you wish to be able to say what the products of a reaction are.