Answer:
The value of x that will balance the equation is 2.
Explanation:
The law of conservation of matter states that since no atom can be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction, the number of atoms that are present in the reagents has to be equal to the number of atoms present in the products.
Then, the chemical equation must be balanced. For that, you must first look at the subscripts next to each atom to find the number of atoms in the equation, both in the reagents and in the products.
The coefficients located in front of each molecule indicate the amount of each molecule for the reaction. By multiplying the coefficient mentioned by the subscript, you get the amount of each element present in the reaction.
So in this case you have:
- Left side: 2 hydrogen H, 2 chlorine Cl, 2 sodium Na and 1 oxygen O.
- Right side: 2 hydrogen H, 1 chlorine Cl, 1 sodium Na and 1 oxygen O.
So, since you must have the same amount of sodium and chlorine on each side of the reaction, it can be balanced as follows:
2 HCl + Na₂O → 2 NaCl + H₂O
Then you have:
- Left side: 2 hydrogen H, 2 chlorine Cl, 2 sodium Na and 1 oxygen O.
- Right side: 2 hydrogen H, 2 chlorine Cl, 2 sodium Na and 1 oxygen O.
Now you can see that on both sides of the reaction you have the same amount of each element. So the chemical reaction is balanced.
The value of x that will balance the equation is 2.
