Question

Write the balanced and informative chemical equation for the following

Dilute hydrochloric acid reacts with calcium to produce calcium chloride and hydrogen.

Answer 1

• Balanced equation: the chemical equation in which the number of atoms of each element on the reactant side as well as the product side is equal are known as a balanced equation.
• Dilute hydrochloric acid reacts with calcium to produce calcium chloride and hydrogen.

$\mathrm{Ca}+\mathrm{HCl}\to {\mathrm{CaCl}}_2+{\mathrm{H}}_2$

Balancing the following chemical equation:

$\mathrm{Ca}+\mathrm{HCl}\to {\mathrm{CaCl}}_2+{\mathrm{H}}_2$

Steps to balance the chemical equation:

• Count the number of atoms of each element on either side. Now first balance the compound with the maximum number of atoms

A number of atoms of each element on the reactant side:

$\underset{\mathrm{calcium}}{\mathrm{Ca}}=1\underset{\mathrm{chlorine}}{\mathrm{Cl}}=1\underset{\mathrm{hydrogen}}{\mathrm{H}}=1$

A number of atoms of each element on the product side:

$\underset{\mathrm{calcium}}{\mathrm{Ca}}=1\underset{\mathrm{chlorine}}{\mathrm{Cl}}=2\underset{\mathrm{hydrogen}}{\mathrm{H}}=2$

• As the number of chlorine and hydrogen is not equal on both the reactant and product sides so we will first multiply $\mathrm{HCl}$(hydrochloric acid) by 2 on the reactant side. The reaction becomes:

$\mathrm{Ca}+2\mathrm{HCl}\to {\mathrm{CaCl}}_2+{\mathrm{H}}_2$

Now the no. of atoms of each element are equal on both sides i.e.$\underset{\mathrm{calcium}}{\mathrm{Ca}}=1\underset{\mathrm{chlorine}}{\mathrm{Cl}}=2\underset{\mathrm{hydrogen}}{\mathrm{H}}=2$

Thus it is a balanced informative chemical reaction.

$\underset{\mathrm{calcium}}{\mathrm{Ca}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)}+\underset{\mathrm{hydrochloric}\mathrm{acid}}{2\mathrm{HCl}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)}\to \underset{\mathrm{calcium}\mathrm{chloride}}{{\mathrm{CaCl}}_2\left(\mathrm{s}\right)}+\underset{\mathrm{hydrogen}}{{\mathrm{H}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)}$.