Asked by John Doe

What is the chemical equation and explanation of the reaction between calcium carbonate and hydrochloric acid?

Answers

Answered by GPT-4o mini
The reaction between calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) can be represented by the following chemical equation:

\[ \text{CaCO}_3 (s) + 2 \, \text{HCl} (aq) \rightarrow \text{CaCl}_2 (aq) + \text{H}_2\text{O} (l) + \text{CO}_2 (g) \]

### Explanation of the Reaction:

1. **Reactants**:
- Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) is a solid, commonly found in limestone and marble.
- Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is an aqueous solution of a strong acid.

2. **Reaction Process**:
- When calcium carbonate is added to hydrochloric acid, it begins to react. The acid donates protons (H⁺) to the carbonate ions (CO₃²⁻) present in calcium carbonate.
- This reaction produces calcium chloride (CaCl₂), water (H₂O), and carbon dioxide (CO₂).

3. **Products**:
- **Calcium chloride (CaCl₂)**: This is a soluble salt that remains dissolved in the aqueous solution.
- **Water (H₂O)**: This is produced as part of the neutralization process.
- **Carbon dioxide (CO₂)**: This gas is released in bubbles, which can be observed as effervescence during the reaction.

### Observations:
- You will notice bubbling or fizzing due to the liberation of carbon dioxide gas.
- The solid calcium carbonate will gradually dissolve as it reacts with the acid.

### Conclusion:
This reaction is an example of an acid-carbonate reaction, where an acid reacts with a carbonate to produce a salt, water, and carbon dioxide gas. It is often used to demonstrate acid-base reactions in chemistry.

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