11 Facts on HBr + NaHSO3: What, How To Balance & FAQs

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Hydrobromic acid(HBr) is a strong acid that is a colorless, suffocating gas. NaHSO3 is a chemical mixture. Now let us see some of the facts on HBr + NaHSO3.

NaHSO3 is not a real compound. It is a mixture of salts that are dissolved in water to give a composed solution of bisulfite ions and sodium. It is used as a food additive in jams. HBr being a mineral acid completely dissociates on reaction with NaHSO3.

All the important reactions of HBr and NaHSO3 with balanced equation, enthalpy, are discussed in the this article.

What is the product of HBr and NaHSO3?

Sodium Bromide(NaBr), water(H2O), and Sulfur Dioxide(SO2) are formed by the reaction of HBr and NaHSO3.

HBr + NaHSO3 = H2O + SO2 + NaBr

What type of reaction is HBr + NaHSO3?

The reaction of HBr + NaHSO3 is a type of double displacement reaction as both reactants are completely dissociated to form new products.

How to balance HBr + NaHSO3?

The reaction, HBr + NaHSO3 =  H2O + SO2 + NaBr is not completely balanced as the right and left sides both have a different numbers of molecules.

The following steps are used to balance the equation:

  • Assign coefficients to all the molecules present in the reaction a, b, c, d, and e we will use these five molecules. 
    a HBr + b NaHSO3= c H2O + d SO2 + e NaBr
  • Create an equation for each of the molecules for product and reactants.
    Na = 1a + 1e , H = 1a + 1b + 2c, S = 1a + 1d, O = 3a + 1c + 2d , Br = 1b + 1e
  • Solve each integer of the equations by the gauss elimination method and make it into a whole integer number.
    a = 1 , b = 1, c = 1, d = 1 , e = 1 
  • So, the balanced equivalence of the reaction is, 
    1 HBr +1 NaHSO3= 1 H2O +1 SO2 +1 NaBr

HBr + NaHSO3 net ionic equation

The reaction between HBr + NaHSO3 is:

HBr + NaHSO3 = H2O + SO2 + NaBr

The net ionic equation is calculated by below steps,

  • The complete ionic equation of HBr + NaHSO3 is:
    Na+ + HSO32- + H+ +Br_ = Na+ + Br– + 2H+ + SO32-
  • The chemicals and aqueous salts in the equation are transformed into ions.
    Na+ (aq) + HSO32- (aq) + H+ (aq)+Br_ (aq) = Na+ (aq) + Br– (aq)+ 2H+ (aq)+ SO32-(aq)
  • The species that are involved in the reaction, the spectator ions must be canceled out.
  • Thus, the net ionic equation is,
    HSO32- (aq) = H+ (aq)+ SO32-(aq)

HBr + NaHSO3 conjugate pairs

The conjugate acid-base pairs of HBr + NaHSO3 are as follows:

  • HBr ( Conjugate Acid) = Br–
  • HBr ( Conjuagte Base) = H3O+
  • NaHSO3 has no conjugate acid-base pairs

HBr and NaHSO3 intermolecular forces

  • HBr molecule has a large electronegative difference between its molecules H and Br therefore, it’s a polar molecule. It shows dipole-dipole force.
  • NaHSO3 is a mixture compound and has hydrogen, covalent, and coordinated intermolecular forces in between its atoms.

Is HBr + NaHSO3 a complete reaction?

The reaction of HBr + NaHSO3 is a complete reaction as water, sulfur dioxide, and sodium dioxide is formed as the product in the reaction.

HBr + NaHSO3 = H2O + SO2 + NaBr

Is HBr + NaHSO3 an exothermic or endothermic reaction?

The reaction between HBr + NaHSO3 is exothermic as heat is evolved in the process.

Is HBr + NaHSO3 a precipitation reaction?

There will be no formation of precipitate in the reaction between HBr + NaHSO3 because all the products formed are soluble in water. Therefore, it is not a precipitation reaction.

Is HBr + NaHSO3 reversible or irreversible reaction?

The reaction between HBr and NaHSO3 is an irreversible reaction because there is a complete dissociation of reactants and new products are formed.

Is HBr + NaHSO3 displacement reaction?

The reaction of HBr + NaHSO3 is a double displacement reaction. As HBr is a strong acid and both the reactants are completely displaced, and formation of an entirely new product will take place.

Conclusion

NaHSO3 (Sodium bisulfite) is a white or yellowish-white crystal with an odor of SO2 and is a mixture of salts formed in water. HBr is a solution of hydrogen bromide gas in water and is used in chemistry. The reaction between these two give a displacement reaction and the product NaBr.