15 Facts on H2SO4 + NaHCO3: What, How To Balance & FAQs

Sulfuric acid is a mineral acid, highly viscous as absorbs moisture from air, and Sodium bicarbonate is a crystalline powder. Let us discuss some reactions of H2SO4 and NaHCO3.

H2SO4 is a strong colorless acid with high viscosity, miscible in water with another name oil of vitriol, used for mineral processing, chemical analysis, and oil refining, and NaHCO3 is a white crystalline salt which is highly soluble in water and used if food industries as a baking powder.

In the following parts of this article, we will talk about the reaction enthalpy of H2SO4 + NaHCO3 with conjugate pairs, net ionic equation, conjugate pairs, type of reaction, etc.

What is the product of H2SO4 and NaHCO3

The product of H2SO4 + NaHCO3 is Na2SO4 with the liberation of carbon dioxide CO2 and water H2O.

H2SO4 + NaHCO3 = Na2SO4 + CO2+ H2O.

What type of reaction is H2SO4 + NaHCO3

H2SO4 + NaHCO3 is a double displacement reaction.

How to balance H2SO4 + NaHCO3

Here, are the steps to balance the reaction of H2SO4 + NaHCO3

H2SO4 + 2 NaHCO3 = Na2SO4 +2 CO2+ 2 H2O

  • Name the reactant and products with alphabets A, B, C, D, and E
  • A H2SO4 + B NaHCO3 = C Na2SO4 +D CO2+ E H2O.
  • Modify the atoms with a suitable number
  • H –>A, B, E, S –>A, C, D, O –> A, B, C, D, E  Na –>B, C,  C –> B, D
  • Multiply the coefficients with a suitable number
  • A = 1,  B = 2, C = 1, D =2,  E = 2
  •  To write the balanced equation reduce the lowest integer value.
  • H2SO4 + 2 NaHCO3 = Na2SO4 +2 CO2+ 2 H2O.

H2SO4 + NaHCO3 titration

H2SO4 cannot be titrated with NaHCO3 because during the reaction CO2 gas is librated with water and it is not possible to calculate the endpoint and the unknown concentration of the NaHCO3.               

H2SO4 + NaHCO3 net ionic equation  

The net ionic equation of the reaction H2SO4 + NaHCO3 is –

2H+ + SO4- + Na+ + HCO3- = Na+ + SO4- + CO2 + H+ + OH     

  • Write the full reaction with the respective states of molecules
  • (l)H2SO4 + (s) NaHCO3 = (s) Na2SO4 +(g) CO2+ (l) H2O.
  • Split the atoms into ions thus, the net ionic equation is –
  • 2H+ + SO4- + Na+ + HCO3- = Na+ + SO4- + CO2 + H+ + OH     

H2SO4 + NaHCO3 conjugate pairs

H2SO4 + NaHCO3 has the following conjugate pairs,

  • The conjugate acid pair is H2CO3 after the deprotonation of NaHCO3.
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conjugate pairs

H2SO4 and NaHCO3 intermolecular forces

H2SO4 + NaHCO3 has the following intermolecular forces,

  • The strong electrostatic force with covalent bonds is the intermolecular force present in H2SO4.
  • A covalent bond and coordinate bonds with intermolecular hydrogen bonds are the intermolecular forces present in NaHCO3.

H2SO4 + NaHCO3 reaction enthalpy

The reaction enthalpy of H2SO4 + NaHCO3 is -133  KJ/mol.

MoleculeEnthalpy
H2SO4-814 KJ/mol
NaHCO3-947 KJ/mol
Table showing enthalpy of formation
  • The total enthalpy is
  • ( -814 KJ/mol) – (-947 KJ/mol) = -133  KJ/mol.

Is H2SO4 + NaHCO3 a buffer solution

H2SO4 + NaHCO3 is not a buffer solution because NaHCO3 nature is amphoteric and it will not allow the pH to increase more than 7.

Is H2SO4 + NaHCO3 a complete reaction

 H2SO4 + NaHCO3 is a complete reaction. The product formed is Na2SO4 which is a whole chemical compound and complex and cannot be reacted further after the liberation of CO2 gas.

Is H2SO4 + NaHCO3 an exothermic or endothermic reaction

H2SO4 + NaHCO3 is an exothermic reaction as the product is Na2SO4 with the formation of bubbles of CO2 gas which increases the temperature of the solution and gets heated up.

Is H2SO4 + NaHCO3 a redox reaction

H2SO4 + NaHCO3 is not a redox reaction as all the atoms of reactants and products are in the same oxidation states.

Is H2SO4 + NaHCO3 a precipitation reaction

 H2SO4 + NaHCO3 is not a precipitation reaction as the product is Na2SO4 which is highly soluble in water and cannot be precipitated down in the solution.

Is  H2SO4 + NaHCO3 reversible or irreversible reaction

 H2SO4 + NaHCO3 is not reversible as the product is Na2SO4 and it is highly soluble in water and cannot be reversed as a reactant.

Is H2SO4 + NaHCO3 displacement reaction

 H2SO4 + NaHCO3 is a double displacement reaction. 2H+ ion displaces the Na to form Na2SOand water with CO2 gas as, two different compounds are formed.

Conclusion

H2SO4 is a strong acid that can be used for the refining of sugar and oil and is highly reactive toward acids and bases of chemical compounds and can analyze their properties too on the other side NaHCO3 is used as baking powder in the food industry.