Answer:
See below, please.
Step-by-step explanation:
The balanced chemical equation for the reaction between sodium carbonate and sulfuric acid is
Na2CO3 + H2SO4 → 2 NaHSO4 + H2O + CO2
To write the net ionic equation, we need to first identify the species that are present as ions in solution. Since both reactants are strong electrolytes, they will dissociate completely into their constituent ions in water. Thus, we can write the complete ionic equation as
Na2CO3 (aq) + H2SO4 (aq) → 2 Na+ (aq) + CO3 2- (aq) + 2 H+ (aq) + SO4 2- (aq)
Next, we need to eliminate the spectator ions, which are the ions that appear on both sides of the equation and do not participate in the reaction. In this case, the spectator ions are Na+ and SO4 2-. Therefore, the net ionic equation is
CO3 2- (aq) + 2 H+ (aq) → H2O (l) + CO2 (g)
This shows that carbonate ions (CO3 2-) and hydrogen ions (H+) react to form water and carbon dioxide.
To identify the aqueous species that have the highest concentrations at equilibrium, we need to consider the stoichiometry of the reaction. Since equal volumes of the two solutions are combined, the number of moles of sodium carbonate will be equal to the number of moles of sulfuric acid. Therefore, the species with the highest concentration will be the one that is produced in the largest amount.
From the balanced equation, we can see that 1 mole of sodium carbonate reacts with 1 mole of sulfuric acid to produce 1 mole of carbon dioxide. Therefore, the concentration of CO2 will be the highest at equilibrium, as it is produced in a 1:1 ratio with the reactants.