Sulfuric acid, H2SO4, can be neutralized by sodium hydroxide, NaOH. The unbalanced equation is: H2SO4(aq) + NaOH(aq) → Na2SO4(aq) + H2O(l)

A student who was asked to balance the reaction wrote the following:

H2SO4(aq) + Na2OH(aq) →Na2SO4(aq) + H3O(l)

Is this correct? Explain why or why not using what you know about the law of conservation of mass and chemical changes. If necessary, provide the correct balanced equation. (5 points)

This equation is incorrect because you can only add coefficients or molecules of the substance. For example, you can't just change H20 (Water) to H3O (Hydronium) which is a different compound. The same thing goes for Na2OH.

The correct balanced equation is:

H2So4(aq) + 2 NaOH(aq) = Na2So4(aq) + 2 H2O(l)

Remember, you can only add more molecules of a substance (coefficients) not change the formulas (subscripts).

m=9

step-by-step explanation: