Chemical Forums
Specialty Chemistry Forums => Other Sciences Question Forum => Topic started by: Linkiroth on August 05, 2005, 12:22:10 PM
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What exactly happens, I know that the sodium removes hydrogen... but is the balanced equation:
2Na + H2O ---> H2 + Na2O
or
2Na + 2H2O ---> H2 + 2NaOH
Just a random question I was curious about.
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your 2nd reaction is correct.
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metal + water will react according to an redoxreaction:
meta --> metalion + e-
2H2O + 2e- --> H2 + 2OH(-)
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That's what I thought. But I was told that the first reaction was correct.
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it's correct too but remember that Na2O in H2O will react in an acid-base-reaction due to the O(2-)-ions:
O(2-) + H2O --> 2OH(-)
thus in a solution:
Na2O + H2O --> 2 NaOH
the total nett reaction will then become the same as the first reaction.