Problem: Toilet bowl cleaners often contain hydrochloric acid to dissolve the calcium carbonate deposits that accumulate within a toilet bowl.What mass of calcium carbonate (in grams) can be dissolved by 3.9 g of HCl? (Hint: Begin by writing a balanced equation for the reaction between hydrochloric acid and calcium carbonate.)
FREE Expert Solution
- First thing is to setup the balanced reaction and then use stoichiometry to get the mass of CaCO3. We will need the molar masses of HCl and CaCO3 for that.
- Reaction appears to be a double displacement reaction where counter ions are being switched
- HCl (hydrochloric acid) and CaCO3 (calcium carbonate) dissociates as H+ and Cl-, Ca2+ and CO32-
- Products will appear as H2CO3 (from H+ and CO32-) and CaCl2 (from Ca2+ and Cl-)
- H2CO3 will spontaneously transform to H2O (l) + CO2 (g) THIS IS A GAS EVOLUTION REACTION.
- CaCl2 will appear as aqueous species acc. to the solubility rules. All chlorides (Cl- ) are soluble except AgCl, Hg2Cl2 , and PbCl2 which are insoluble.
Problem Details
Toilet bowl cleaners often contain hydrochloric acid to dissolve the calcium carbonate deposits that accumulate within a toilet bowl.
What mass of calcium carbonate (in grams) can be dissolved by 3.9 g of HCl? (Hint: Begin by writing a balanced equation for the reaction between hydrochloric acid and calcium carbonate.)
Frequently Asked Questions
What scientific concept do you need to know in order to solve this problem?
Our tutors have indicated that to solve this problem you will need to apply the Stoichiometry concept. You can view video lessons to learn Stoichiometry. Or if you need more Stoichiometry practice, you can also practice Stoichiometry practice problems.
What professor is this problem relevant for?
Based on our data, we think this problem is relevant for Professor Ghebreab's class at City College of San Francisco.