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

Sulphuric acid reacts with natrium fluoride to form the salt cake. Let us study H2SO4 + Naf reaction in detail.

Sulfuric acid is a very important industrial chemical. It is usually used in the production of fertilizers and is crucial in chemical synthesis, oil refining, wastewater processing, and mineral processing. Sodium fluoride is a colorless, white solid used in the fluoridation of drinking water in trace amounts.

This article studies the various fact of H2SO4 + NaF reaction like its product, enthalpy of reaction, reaction type, conjugate pairs, ionic equation, etc.

What is the product of H2SO4 and NaF?

Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) reacts with sodium fluoride (NaF) to form sodium sulfate (Na2SO4), and hydrofluoric acid (NaF).

H2SO4 + NaF → Na2SO4 + HF

What type of reaction is H2SO4 + NaF?

H2SO4 + NaF is a double displacement, endothermic and precipitate reaction.

How to balance H2SO4 + NaF?

The given chemical reaction is balanced by following steps:

  • The unbalanced chemical reaction is written as:
  • H2SO4 + NaF → Na2SO4 + HF              
  • The respective number of moles of each element are tabulated as shown below:
ElementsReactantProduct
Na12
F11
S11
O44
H21
Number of moles of elements on reactant and product side
  • The reaction is balanced when the number of moles of each element at left hand side are equal to the number of moles of each element at right hand side.
  • Here moles of Na and H are unbalanced on either side.
  • To balance the reaction, multiply 2 each with NaF on reactant side and HF on product side
  • The Balanced chemical reaction is
  • H2SO4 + 2NaF → Na2SO4 + 2HF      
1
Balanced Chemical Reaction

H2SO4 + NaF Titration

H2SO4 + NaF titration is not possible due to the formation of salt.

H2SO4 + NaF Net ionic equation

The net ionic equation for H2SO4 + NaF is not possible since all ions are spectator ions in the reaction as shown below:

2H+(aq) + SO42-(aq) + 2Na+(aq) + 2F(aq) = 2H+(aq) + 2F(aq) + 2Na+(aq) + SO42-(aq)

H2SO4 + NaF conjugate pairs

The conjugate acid-base pairs for H2SO4 + NaF are,

  • Conjugate acid of H2SO4 = H3O+
  • Conjugate base of H2SO4 = HSO4 
  • Conjugate base of NaF  = F

H2SO4 + NaF intermolecular forces

The intermolecular forces on H2SO4 and NaF are,

H2SO4 + NaF reaction enthalpy

H2SO4 + NaF change in reaction enthalpy is: 368.77 kJ/mol

Follow the below steps to calculate the change in reaction enthalpy –

  • The reaction enthalpy of formation of each compound on the either side of the reaction is tabulated down as:
CompoundsEnthalpy (kJ/mol)
H2SO4-909.27
NaF-573.6
Na2SO4-1387.1
HF273
Enthalpy of each compound in the reaction.
  • Change in reaction enthalpy = Sum of enthalpies in product side – sum of enthalpies in reactant side.
  • Change in Enthalpy = (-1387.1+273) – (-909.27-573.6) = 368.77 kJ/mol

Is H2SO4 + NaFa buffer solution?

H2SO4 + NaF reaction is not a buffer solution since presence of strong H2SOacid takes place during the reaction.

Is H2SO4 + NaF a complete reaction?

H2SO4 + NaF is a defined as a complete reaction as at equilibrium complete moles of reactant are consumed into products.

Is H2SO4 + NaF an exothermic or endothermic reaction?

H2SO4 + NaF is an endothermic reaction because the change in enthalpy is +368.77 kJ/mol, which is positive thereby decreasing the temperature.

Is H2SO4 + NaF a redox reaction?

H2SO4 + NaF is not redox reaction as no change in the oxidation state is observed.

Is H2SO4 + NaF a precipitation reaction?

H2SO4 + NaF is a precipitation reaction, due to the formation of Na2SO4, which is sodium salt of sulfuric acid, in the reaction.

Is H2SO4 + NaF reversible or irreversible reaction?

H2SO4 + NaF is an irreversible reaction, and can only be reversed when there is drastic change in experiment temperature or pressure.

Is H2SO4 + NaF displacement reaction?

H2SO4 + NaF reaction is a double displacement (metathesis) reaction. H2 is traded with F to form HF and Na if traded with SO4 to form Na2SO4.

2
Double Displacement Reaction

Conclusion

Reaction of sulfuric acid with sodium fluoride involves formation basic salt and sodium sulphate. Sodium sulfate is mainly used as catalyst in Kraft process of paper pulping, in manufacturing of detergents. Hydrogen fluoride is a colorless liquid or gas used as important feedstock in many pharmaceuticals and petrochemical industries