Question

Hi
I hope you can understand this...the Na ion is attached to the oxygen using ionic bonding. The \/ are meant to symbolize the hydrocarbon chain. The || is a double bond that bonds oxgen to carbon.

O
||
Na O/\/\/\/\/\/ + CaCl2 -> ? + NaCl

To give you some background, it has to do with a soap solution being added to CaCl2 to yield compounds, including soap scum.

I am not sure, but I interpreted the structural formula to be
CH3(CH2)9COONa. Using this plus CaCl2, I need to come up with a balanced chemical reaction.

Is my structural formula correct? Probably not, because I ended up with the reaction:
CH3(CH2)9COONa + CaCl2 -> CH3(CH2)9COOCa + NaCl and it wouldn't balance.

Please help! I'm not sure how to better explain the question. The answer sheet only gives room for two reactants and two products.

Thank you

Answer 1

The format came out wrong - the double bond of oxygen to carbon occurs at the first apex.

Answer 2

The board doesn't know how to handle spaces so it ignores all spaces past the first one.
Here is what you want.
(It appears you have drawn 11 C--whatever it is I'll just use n for the number of CH2 groups.
2CH3(CH2)nCOONa + CaCl2 ==>(CH3(CH2)nCOO)2Ca + 2NaCl