Question

Write the skeleton equation, predict the products, then balance and classify the equation. Sodium + copper (II) sulfate

Answer 1

-First, let's write the formulas of each compound:

Sodium - Na

Copper (II) Sulfate - CuSO₄

So the reaction equation is:

Na + CuSO₄ --> Cu + Na₂SO₄

Products: Cu (copper) and Na₂SO₄ (sodium sulfate)

Now let's balance the equation. For this, it must have the same number of atoms of each element on the reactants and products side. Just the number of Na is not equal on both sides, so we will put a 2 before Na (2 is the stoichiometric coefficient of Na).

Equation balanced:

2 Na + CuSO₄ --> Cu + Na₂SO₄

The classification of the reaction is single-replacement, because Na trades places with Cu, forming Na₂SO₄.