15 Facts on H2SO4 + NaH: What, How to Balance & FAQs

H₂SO₄ is an inorganic acid and NaH is a strong base. Let us go through the chemical reaction between H₂SO₄ and NaH in detail.

The reaction between H₂SO₄ and NaH is a oxidation-reduction type reaction. H₂SO₄ is odorless, colorless, hygroscopic in nature. NaH is an alkali metal hydride , it is a strong, odorless, and combustible base used in Organic Synthesis. The Molar Mass of H₂SO₄ is 98.079 g/mol and of NaH is 23.998 g/mol.

H₂SO₄ is made by Contact process & NaH by reacting H₂ & liquid Na, the reactions with NaH occur at solid’s surface. In this article we will learn about the reaction between them.

What is the product of H₂SO₄ and NaH?

Sodium Sulfate and Hydrogen gas is evolved when Pure Sulfuric acid reacts with Sodium Hydride.

• 2NaH + H₂SO₄  ==> Na₂SO₄  + 2H₂

What type of reaction is H₂SO₄ + NaH?

The reaction NaH + H₂SO₄ is a Double Displacement reaction and exothermic reaction.

How to balance H₂SO₄ + NaH?

The Unbalanced equation for H₂SO₄ + NaH is as follows

• NaH + H₂SO₄ ==> Na₂SO₄ + H₂

• To balance the equation following steps are followed:

• Count the number of atoms on reactant side and product side, which should be same.
• If it is not then Stoichiometric coefficient should be added to make them equal.

• To balance the equation multiply NaH by stoichiometric coefficient 2 on the LHS and on RHS multiply H₂ by 2.
• Thus the balanced equation is-

• 2NaH + H₂SO4 ==> Na₂SO₄ + 2H₂

H₂SO₄ + NaH titration

Titration is not possible in H₂SO₄ + NaH since NaH is a superbase deprotonating various carbon acids. Also, because the reaction need to be carried out in inert atmosphere since it ignites spontaneously in air and reacts vigorously with water.

H₂SO₄ + NaH net ionic equation

• The net Ionic equation is
• 2Na⁺_(aq)+ 2H^–_{(hypothetical)}+ SO₄^2-_(aq)+ 2H⁺_(aq) ==> 2Na⁺+SO₄^2-_(aq) +4H⁺

• To derive the net ionic equation follow below steps-

• First write chemical equations along with the physical states of the chemical entities

• 2NaH _(aq) + H₂SO_{4 (aq)} ==> Na₂SO_4(aq) + 2H_2(g)

• 2Na⁺_(aq) + 2H^–_{(hypothetical)} + SO₄^2-_(aq) + 2H⁺_(aq)==> 2Na⁺ + SO₄^2-_(aq) + 4H⁺

• There is no net ionic reaction for such reaction since H^– ions do not exist in the form of a solution and also all the ions are considered to be spectator ions.

H₂SO₄ + NaH conjugate pairs

• H₂SO₄ and water gives rise to H₃O⁺ (Conjugate Acid) and HSO₄^– (Conjugate Base)
• NaH gives rise to H^– which is the conjugate base.

H₂SO₄ and NaH intermolecular forces

• In H₂SO₄ , van der Waals dispersion forces, dipole-dipole interactions and hydrogen bonding are present as intermolecular force.
• For NaH, Electrostatic force such as ionic bond is present as intermolecular force. Since Na⁺ and H^–are the two ionic species involved.

H₂SO₄ + NaH reaction Enthalpy

The enthalpy involved in the reaction between H₂SO₄ and NaH is yet to be studied in detail.

Is H₂SO₄ + NaH a buffer solution?

H₂SO₄ + NaH is not a buffer solution as H₂SO₄ is a strong acid and no conjugate acid or base exists to keep the pH of the solution at approximate constant value.

Is H₂SO₄ + NaH a complete reaction?

H₂SO₄ + NaH is a complete reaction since the reaction achieves equilibrium and the concentration of the chemical species on both the reactant and products side is stable and equal.

Is H₂SO₄ + NaH an exothermic or endothermic reaction?

The reaction H₂SO₄ + NaH is exothermic in nature since NaH reacts spontaneously with water giving rise to generation of energy in the form of heat.

Is H₂SO₄ + NaH a redox reaction?

H₂SO₄ + NaH is considered as a redox reaction since H^– changed its oxidation state from -1 to +1.

Is H₂SO₄ + NaH a precipitation reaction?

H₂SO₄ + NaH is not a precipitation reaction since all the products formed in aqueous form and are soluble in water.

Is H₂SO₄ + NaH reversible or irreversible reaction?

H₂SO₄ + NaH is an irreversible reaction because the reaction is unidirectional.

Is H₂SO₄ + NaH displacement reaction?

H₂SO₄ + NaH is a double displacement reaction because in this reaction Na⁺ ions from NaH displace H⁺ ions from H₂SO₄ and SO₄^2- displaces H^– from NaH forming Na₂SO₄ (Sodium Sulfate) and Hydrogen gas.

Conclusion:

The reaction between H₂SO₄ and NaH is very abrupt reaction due to the highly reactive nature of NaH. The product formed which is Na₂SO₄ (Sodium Sulfate) is highly soluble in water has various applications such as diluent in food colors, thermal storage, in commodity industries and as drying agent in organic synthesis.

Vishakha Awalegaonkar

Hello…. I am Vishakha Awalegaonkar. I have done my Master’s in Analytical Chemistry. Currently, I am working for a leading Company in the consumer health sector. Apart from that, I am also a Japanese language trainer. Feel free to reach me on LinkedIn: