Final answer:
The chemical equation Cl₂(g) + NaOH(aq) → NaCl(aq) + NaClO₃(aq) + H₂O(l) is not balanced and does not reflect the known products of the reaction. The provided equation does not match known reactions between Cl₂ and NaOH and thus is false.
Step-by-step explanation:
The chemical equation provided by the student, Cl₂(g) + NaOH(aq) → NaCl(aq) + NaClO₃(aq) + H₂O(l), is not balanced. To write a balanced molecular equation for the reaction between chlorine gas and sodium hydroxide, we need to ensure that the number of atoms for each element is equal on both sides of the equation. The process actually involves different products depending on the conditions, but if we consider the cold dilute conditions, the balanced reaction is generally represented as:
Cl₂(g) + 2NaOH(aq) → NaCl(aq) + NaClO(aq) + H₂O(l)
This shows us that chlorine gas reacts with sodium hydroxide to produce sodium chloride, sodium hypochlorite, and water, all in a balanced manner. The provided equation does not match known reactions between Cl₂ and NaOH and thus is false.