Acid-Base Reaction: Hydrochloric Acid and Magnesium Oxide Formula

[chawki]

Homework Statement

When acid and metal oxide react the product is salt and water.

Homework Equations

Write the reaction formula, when hydrochloric acid reacts with magnesium oxide

The Attempt at a Solution

Hcl and MgO
2 Hcl + MgO ------> 2H₂O+ MgCl
I still find it not balanced and don't know how balance it

 

[zhermes]

How do you balance reaction equations in general?

 

[willem2]

Homework Statement

When acid and metal oxide react the product is salt and water.

Homework Equations

Write the reaction formula, when hydrochloric acid reacts with magnesium oxide

The Attempt at a Solution

Hcl and MgO
2 Hcl + MgO ------> 2H₂O+ MgCl
I still find it not balanced and don't know how balance it

It's $MgCl_2$

 

[dextercioby]

Advice: before wondering how the atoms in a reaction can be balanced, you need to write all the formulas correctly.

Magnesium is divalent (you can see that in the monoxide, it has the same valence as the oxygen, 2) and this is a simple reaction, it will not get reduced, so in the salt it must have the same valence, namely 2.

 

[chawki]

2HCl + MgO -----> H₂O + MgCl₂

 

[dextercioby]

That's more like it.