15 Facts on H2SO4 + ZnCl2: What, How To Balance & FAQs

Sulphuric acid(H₂SO₄) is an inorganic an viscous liquid compound and Zinc chloride (ZnCl₂) is an inorganic white mineral. Let us discuss the reactions of H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂.

H₂SO₄ is a colorless acid that absorbs moisture from the air and is also known as oil of vitriol, kept in glass bottle because of the high reactivity. ZnCl₂ is a white crystalline powder and hygroscopic in nature with high solubility in acids like HCl and alkaline solutions with the density of 2.907 g/cm³.

In this article, we are going to take a look at the following sections enthalpies, conjugate pairs, products, and net ionic reaction with the type of reaction for H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂.

What is the product of H₂SO₄ and ZnCl₂

Zinc sulphate (ZnSO₄) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) are the products of H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂.

H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂= ZnSO₄ + HCl

What type of reaction is H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂

H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ is a double replacement reaction as the dissociative ions present in liquid medium displaces the ions of both the reactants to form the products.

How to balance H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂

The equation H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ is balanced by using the following steps–

H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ = ZnSO₄ + 2HCl

• Name each reactant and product with a specific alphabet like A, B, C, and D.

• A H₂SO₄+ B ZnCl₂= C ZnSO₄ + D HCl

• Modify the atoms with suitable numbers.

• H –> A,D  S –>A, C Cl –>B,D  Zn–>B,C

• Multiply the coefficients with suitable numbers.

• A=1, B = 1 ,C = 1 ,D = 2

• Now, reduce the value of the lowest integer.

• So, the final equation is

• H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ = ZnSO₄ + HCl

H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ titration

H₂SO₄ cannot be titrated with ZnCl₂ because the product of the reaction is ZnSO₄ and HCl are acids that increase the acidity of the solution, due to which it is not possible to calculate the unknown concentration H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ and endpoint of the solution.

H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ net ionic equation

The net ionic reaction of H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ is –

H⁺ + SO^4- + Zn⁺ + Cl^–  = Zn⁺ + SO^4- + H⁺ + Cl^–

Following steps should be followed to write the net ionic equation.

• Write the reaction with states.

• H₂SO₄ (l) + ZnCl₂ (s)= ZnSO₄ (l) + HCl (l)

• Splits the atoms into ions.

• Thus, net ionic equation is –
• H⁺ + SO^4- + Zn⁺ + Cl^–  = Zn⁺ + SO^4- + H⁺ + Cl^–

H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ conjugate pairs

H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ has the following conjugate pairs–

• H₂SO₄ conjugate acid has HSO^4- conjugate base after the deprotonation.

•  ZnCl₂ conjugate base has HCl as a conjugate acid after protonation.

H₂SO₄ and ZnCl₂intermolecular forces

The intermolecular forces present between H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ are –

• Dipole-dipole interaction force and strong electrostatic force with intermolecular hydrogen bonds are the intermolecular forces present between the molecules of H₂SO₄ .

• Intermolecular hydrogen bonds with covalent bonds are the intermolecular forces of attraction present between the atoms of ZnCl₂.

H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ reaction enthalpy

The reaction enthalpy of H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ is -814 KJ/mole, where-

• Enthalpy of formation of H₂SO₄ = -814 KJ/mole

• Enthalpy of formation of  ZnCl₂ = 0 KJ/mole

• Reaction enthalpy is calculated as = Enthalpy of formation of H₂SO₄ – Enthalpy of formation of  ZnCl₂

• = -814 KJ/mole – 0 KJ/mole

• = -814 kJ/mole

Is H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ a buffer solution

H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ is not a buffer solution because the products of the reaction are ZnSO₄ and HCl which can make the buffer solution acidic due to which the pH of the solution does not specify the pH of the buffer solution.

Is H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ a complete reaction

H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ is a complete reaction as the products are zinc sulfate (ZnSO₄) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) which are the complete complex of a chemical species and cannot react further to make any other compound.

Is H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ an exothermic or endothermic reaction

H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ is an exothermic reaction it is because when ZnCl₂ is added to H₂SO₄ the process of bond dissociation of ZnCl₂ and H₂SO₄ takes place due to the high reactivity of H₂SO₄ and this leads to production of large amount of heat which warms up the solution.

Is H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ a redox reaction

H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ is not a redox reaction because the oxidation states of reactants and products are same throughout the reaction as there is no exchange of electrons and protons.

Is H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ a precipitation reaction

H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ is not a precipitation reaction as the solubility of ZnSO₄ is very high because of the covalent bond present between them, due to which it dissolves immediately as comes in contact with H₂SO₄ and does not form any precipitated salt.

Is H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ reversible or irreversible reaction

H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ is an irreversible reaction as the product of the reaction ZnSO₄inc sulfate is a complete complex of an inorganic chemical compound and cannot be reversed in the form of a reactant again.

Is H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ displacement reaction

H₂SO₄+ ZnCl₂ is a double-displacement reaction as the dissociation of ions takes place in the reaction. Here, the respective ion H⁺ displaces the Zn⁺ ion to form HCl (hydrochloric acid), and the SO^4- ion displaces the Cl^– ion to form ZnSO₄ (zinc sulfate).

Conclusion

H₂SO₄ is used as a reagent for salt analysis and for refining petrol as well as for making fertilizers. Whereas, ZnCl₂ can be used in various chemical syntheses because of the high solubility and high melting points with processing in textile industries and in fixing of metallurgical fluxes.