15 Facts on H2SO4 + Ca: What, How To Balance & FAQs

Chemical reactions in manufacturing and processing industries have frequently used sulphuric acid as a key solvent. Let us exploit the chemical reactivity of H2SO4 and Ca.

Sulphuric acid is a corrosive and strong acid whereas calcium is an alkaline earth metal known for its food and pharmaceutical potential. Calcium is known for its complexation tendency with various ligands and groups.

The reactivity of H2SO4 and Ca is assessed for their effective potential in industrial processing. In addition, the following chemical characteristics of the reacting species can be explored.

What is the product of H2SO4 and Ca?

Calcium sulfate and hydrogen gas is evolved when H2SO4 + Ca react.

H2SO4 + Ca = CaSO4 + H2

What type of reaction is H2SO4 + Ca?

H2SO4 + Ca is a substitution reaction where hydrogen in sulphuric acid is substituted by calcium to form calcium sulfate.

How to balance H2SO4 + Ca?

The following reaction is balanced using the mentioned steps :

Ca + H2SO4 = CaSO4 + H2

  • Each reactant and product in the equation is labelled with a variable (A, B, C, and D) to represent unknown coefficients.
  • A Ca + B H2SO4 = C CaSO4 + D H2
  • Now, an appropriate quantity thought of as the coefficient of reactants and products, is used to solve the equation.
  • Ca = A = C, H = 2B = 2D, S = B = C, O = 4B = 4C
  • The Gaussian elimination method is used to determine all the variables and coefficients, and results are
  • A = 1, B = 1, C = 1, and D = 1
  • Accordingly, the overall balanced equation is,
  • Ca + H2SO4 = CaSO4 + H2

H2SO4 + Ca titration

The titration system of Ca + H2SO4 is not possible because Ca is a metal, so it cannot be used in titration.

H2SO4 + Ca net ionic equation

The net ionic equation of Ca + H2SO4 is

Ca (s) + 2H+ (aq) + SO4-2 (aq) = CaSO4 (s) + H2 (g)

The net ionic equation is derived using the following steps :

  • Write the balanced chemical equation and represent the physical states of reactants and products accordingly
  • Ca (s) + H2SO4 (aq) = CaSO4 (s) + H2 (g)
  • Now, strong acids, bases, and salts dissociate into ions whereas pure solid substances and molecules do not dissociate
  • Thus, the net ionic equation is
  • Ca (s) + 2H+ (aq) + SO4-2 (aq) = CaSO4 (s) + H2 (g)

H2SO4 + Ca conjugate pairs

  • Conjugate base of H2SO4 exist as HSO4
  • Ca does not form conjugate pairs due to the unavailability of protons.

H2SO4 and Ca intermolecular forces

  • H2SO4 molecules contains strong hydrogen bonds, van der Waals dispersion forces, and dipole-dipole interactions.
  • Ca metal ions form intermolecular forces.

H2SO4 + Ca reaction enthalpy

H2SO4 + Ca is found to report reaction enthalpy of -2.4 kJ/mol.

Is H2SO4 + Ca a buffer solution?

H2SO4 + Ca does not form a buffer solution as neither strong acid (H2SO4) nor metal (Ca) forms a buffer.

Is H2SO4 + Ca a complete reaction?

H2SO4 + Ca is a complete reaction as calcium sulfate and hydrogen gas are formed as stable products.

Is H2SO4 + Ca an exothermic or endothermic reaction?

H2SO4 + Ca is an exothermic reaction because sulphuric acid leads to heat liberation.

Is H2SO4 + Ca a redox reaction?

H2SO4 + Ca does not show a redox reaction because Ca is the only species oxidized in this reaction.

Is H2SO4 + Ca a precipitation reaction?

H2SO4 + Ca is a precipitation reaction, as barium sulfate precipitates at the end of the reaction.

Is H2SO4 + Ca reversible or irreversible reaction?

H2SO4 + Ca is an irreversible reaction because the formed products (CaSO4) cannot be changed back into the original reactants.

Is H2SO4 + Ca displacement reaction?

H2SO4 + Ca is a displacement reaction because of single displacement of sulphate anion form hydrogen to calcium takes place.

Conclusions

The reactivity of calcium is widespread due to its large size. Reaction of sulphuric acid with calcium forms calcium sulfate which can be further used to produce gypsum and plaster of Paris. Due to its poor solubility, it also leads to permanent hardness of water.