Question

NaOH (aq) + H2SO4 (aq) > H2O + NaSO4 (aq)

Answer 1

`2 NaOH (aq) + H_2SO_4 (aq)\rightarrow 2 H_2O (l) + Na_2SO_4 (aq)`

Step-by-step explanation:

Let's correct and balance the given equation:

• 
  `NaOH (aq)` is sodium hydroxide, charge of sodium is +1, charge of hydroxide is -1, so it's fine;
• 
  `H_2SO_4 (aq)` is sulfuric acid, charge of hydrogen cation is +1, charge of sulfate is -2, sulfate is balanced by the two protons;
• 
  `H_2O (l)` is firstly a molecule, it's water, in its liquid state, the oxidation state of +1 for the two hydrogens is balanced by the oxidation state of -2 for oxygen;
• sodium sulfate should be
  `Na_2SO_4 (aq)`, since sulfate has a charge of -2, this would require two sodium cations to balance it.

The equation becomes:

`NaOH (aq) + H_2SO_4 (aq)\rightarrow H_2O (l) + Na_2SO_4 (aq)`

We require 2 NaOH in order to balance the two sodium cations on the right, this would yield a total of 4 hyrogens on the left, so we also need two water molecules to balance it fully:

`2 NaOH (aq) + H_2SO_4 (aq)\rightarrow 2 H_2O (l) + Na_2SO_4 (aq)`