How many grams of NaOH are needed to neutralize 50 grams of H2SO4

1 answer

To find out how many grams of NaOH are needed to neutralize 50 grams of H2SO4, we can follow these steps:

1. Determine the balanced chemical equation for the reaction between NaOH and H2SO4.

NaOH + H2SO4 → Na2SO4 + 2H2O

2. Determine the molar masses of the compounds involved.

NaOH: 22.99 (Na) + 15.999 (O) + 1.008 (H) = 39.997 g/mol
H2SO4: (1.008 * 2) (H) + 32.06 (S) + (15.999 * 4) (O) = 98.076 g/mol

3. Determine the moles of H2SO4 in the given mass.

50 g H2SO4 × (1 mol H2SO4 / 98.076 g H2SO4) = 0.5098 mol H2SO4

4. Determine the stoichiometric ratio between NaOH and H2SO4 in the balanced chemical equation.

From the balanced chemical equation, 1 mole of H2SO4 reacts with 2 moles of NaOH.

Ratio = 1 H2SO4 : 2 NaOH

5. Determine the moles of NaOH needed to react with the given moles of H2SO4.

0.5098 mol H2SO4 × (2 mol NaOH / 1 mol H2SO4) = 1.0196 mol NaOH

6. Determine the mass of NaOH needed based on its molar mass.

1.0196 mol NaOH × (39.997 g NaOH / 1 mol NaOH) = 40.78 g NaOH

So, approximately 40.78 grams of NaOH are needed to neutralize 50 grams of H2SO4.