QUESTION IMAGE
Question
does this equation follow the law of conservation of mass?
h₂so₄ + naoh → naso₄ + h₂o
Step1: Balance the chemical equation.
The correct balanced equation for the reaction between sulfuric acid ($H_2SO_4$) and sodium hydroxide ($NaOH$) is $H_2SO_4 + 2NaOH=Na_2SO_4 + 2H_2O$. The given equation $H_2SO_4 + NaOH
ightarrow NaSO_4 + H_2O$ is un - balanced as the number of atoms of each element is not the same on both sides.
Step2: Check atom counts in the un - balanced equation.
On the left - hand side: 2 H atoms from $H_2SO_4$ and 1 H atom from $NaOH$ (total 3 H), 1 S atom, 4 + 1 = 5 O atoms, 1 Na atom. On the right - hand side: 2 H atoms from $H_2O$, 1 S atom, 4+1 = 5 O atoms, 1 Na atom. But the sodium sulfate formula is incorrect ($NaSO_4$ should be $Na_2SO_4$). After balancing, we have equal numbers of atoms on both sides. Since the given equation is unbalanced, it does not follow the law of conservation of mass in its current form.
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