Complete Facts on CO2 + H2O: With Several Elements Reaction

CO2 is the molecular formula of carbon dioxide. In this article, we should discuss CO2+ H2O in detailed facts with some other elements’ reactions.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a gaseous molecule. It is an odorless gaseous molecule. But at high concentrations, the smell is sharp and acidic. The density of carbon dioxide is almost 1.5 times of air. The density is 1.98 kg/ m3. The molecular weight is 44.009 g/mol. As it is a gaseous molecule so it has certain vapor pressure having a value of 5.72 MPa at 300 C temperature.

The reactivity of carbon dioxide is a highly reactive molecule as it contains a double bond and that double bond can easily be cleaved by the proper attack of nucleophile-like water (H20). The pka value of carbon dioxide is 6.53 so it is slightly acidic and it reacts with base or nucleophile.

CO2 + H2O
Molecular Structure of Carbon Dioxide

What is CO2 + H2O?

CO2 + H2O both are chemical or molecular formulas. CO2 is the molecular formula of carbon dioxide and H2O is the molecular formula of water.

Carbon dioxide can be rapidly soluble in water by the adsorption process and it ionizes slowly in the aqueous medium. As it is a slightly acidic character so it can form acid in an aqueous solution. Carbon dioxide is not ionized like C+ or O2. It gets dissolved in water solution and forms the whole solution acidic and then that acidic solution gets ionized.

This reaction is a simple addition reaction or combination reaction so it does not require any kind of catalyst to forward the whole reaction. The reaction can carry forward by itself only. Water acts as a medium here, where the carbon dioxide can be dissolved and ionized or make any acid or acidic solution.

What happens when CO2 reacts with H2O?

When any slightly acidic molecule gets dissolved in water or reacts with water generally the whole solution turns acidic, because water is a neutral molecule. Depending on the nature of the acidity of that particular molecule, the acidity of the whole solution of the new product is getting determined.

In this CO2 + H20 reaction it is expected that the formation of the acidic compound will occur.

Carbon dioxide is slightly acidic in nature, having a pka value is 6.53. whereas water is the neutral molecule on the pk scale. So, when carbon dioxide gets reacts with water or dissolves in water the whole solution becomes acidic or the formation of an acidic compound occurs. Carbon dioxide cannot ionize in the aqueous medium, it reacts with water, and then ionizes slowly.

Water acts as a solution medium or reaction medium. The reaction mechanism can be thought that the lone pairs of water molecules over O atoms are available and they attack the double between carbon and oxygen in carbon dioxide. Then there is a cleaved of the double bond occurred and the hydroxide group incorporated in between the double bond between carbon and oxygen in carbon dioxide.

Water is an ambident molecule and it can behave as an acid or basic both depending on the nature of the reaction. Water can ionize H+ and OH. We know that hydroxide is a strong nucleophile and base also.

But here carbon dioxide is less acidic but C=O is the best electrophilic center. So, any kind of nucleophile can attack there. Hydroxide is one of the best nucleophilic centers so it can attack that electrophilic center and the double bond can be cleaved and the OH group incorporated and the remaining H+ ion is also added to the other O site of carbon dioxide.

What kind of reaction is CO2 + H2O?

CO2 + H2O is a combination type of reaction or it can say simply be an addition reaction.

We cannot say that CO2 + H2O is the typical acid-base reaction because carbon dioxide gets dissolved in water and then form the acidic compound carbonic acid. Water is not a base here it acts as a medium here. But the mechanism can be thought that hydroxide ion attack the electrophilic center of carbon dioxide and breaks the double bond and OH group incorporated and H+ ion coordinated with O- to form H2CO3. So, in another way, this reaction can be named a nucleophilic addition reaction.

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Mechanistic Pathway of CO2 + H2O Reaction

How to balance CO2 + H2O?

Every chemical reaction should be balanced properly by its stoichiometric value. Without proper balancing a reaction is not valid, because we cannot understand how many reactions are needed to react how many other reactants, and how many the product we will get.

Let us balance the equation of CO2 + H2O,

CO2 + H2O = H2CO3, we can see that this equation is already balanced. The left-hand side and right-hand side should be equal here.

So, the CO2 + H2O reaction should be balanced by the actual method. There are many steps we should follow to balance a chemical reaction.

Step 1- Every individual molecule or compound is labeled as a, b, c, or x,y, or z depending on the number of molecules present in a reaction.

We use those labeled as the coefficient of every individual molecule with that variable to identify the unidentified coefficient of the molecule.

(A)CO2 + (B) H2O = (C) H2CO3

Step 2- We make some equations for the number system

This equation is created by using suitable numbers of that coefficient for every element present in the reactant and product like carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.

C = A = B

H = 2B = 2C

O = 2A + B = 3C

Step 3-  All the variables in the coefficient should be solved in various methods.

Solve all the variables of that coefficient via the Gauss elimination method or determination method.

Using Gauss elimination or substitution

A – B = 0

2B – 2C = 0

2A + B – 3C = 0

Thus, the result shows the lowest integer value of those variables.

A = 1 (CO2)

B = 1 (H2O)

C = 1 (H2CO3)

Step 4 – In the final step substitute the coefficients and verify the result of L.H.S. and R.H.S.

1 CO2 + 1 H20 = 1 H2CO3

Atoms        L.H.S.         R.H.S.
C11
H22
O33

                                   

So, CO2 + H2O = H2CO3 is the balanced equation and L.H.S. is equal to R.H.S.

How to balance CO2+H2O = C6H12O6 + O2 ?

CO2 + H2O = C6H12O6 + O2 reaction is not balanced properly, so we have to balance this equation properly.

So, we just start solving the balance equation by using labeling the individual molecules.

(A)CO2 + (B)H2O = (C) C6H12O6 + (D)O2

Now we created the number equation for the coefficient for every atom.

C = A = 6C

H = 2B = 12C

O = 2A + B = 6C + 2D

Now using the gauss elimination, we get,

A – 6C = 0

2B – 12C = 0

2A + B – 6C – 2D = 0

Now the result which shows the lowest integer,

A = 6 (CO2)

B = 6 (H2O)

C = 1 (C6H12O6)

D = 6 (O2)

In the final step, we substitute the coefficient and verify the result of L.H.S. and R.H.S.

6 CO2 + 6 H2O = C6H12O6 + 6 O2

Atoms                          L.H.S.                          R.H.S.

C                                 6                                  6

H                                 12                                12

O                                 18                                18

So, 6CO2 + 6H2O = C6H12O6 + 6O2 is the balanced equation now and L.H.S. is equal to R.H.S.

So, 6CO2 + 6H2O = C6H12O6 + 6O2 balanced properly.

How do balance CO2+H2O=C2H2+O2?

CO2 + H2O = C2H2 + O2 reaction is not properly balanced and we have to balance it properly.

By labeling every individual molecule we get,

(A)CO2 + (B)H2O = (C)C2H2 + (D)O2

Now we created the number equation for the coefficient for every atom

C = A = 2C

H = 2B = 2C

O = 2A + B = 2D

Now using the gauss elimination, we get,

A – 2C = 0

2B – 2C = 0

2A + B – 2D = 0

On calculation we get values of,

A = 4 (CO2)

B = 2 (H2O)

C = 2 (C2H2)

D = 5 (O2)

In the final step, we substitute the coefficient and verify the result of L.H.S. and R.H.S.

4 CO2 +2 H2O = 2 C2H2 + 5 O2

Atoms                          L.H.S.                          R.H.S.

C                                 4                                  4

H                                 4                                  4

O                                 10                                10

So, 4CO2 +2H2O = 2C2H2 + 5O2 is the balanced equation now and L.H.S. is equal to R.H.S.

How to balance CO2 + H2O = C2H6 + O2?

CO2 + H2O = C2H6 + O2 reaction is not balanced properly, so we have to balance this equation properly.

So, we just start solving the balance equation by using labeling the individual molecules.

(A)CO2 + (B)H2O = (C)C2H6 + (D)O2

Now we created the number equation for the coefficient for every atom.

C = A = 2C

H = 2B = 2C

O = 2A + B = 2D

Now using the gauss elimination, we get,

A – 2C = 0

2B – 2C = 0

2A + B – 2D = 0

Now the result which shows the lowest integer,

A = 4 (CO2)

B = 6 (H2O)

C = 2 (C2H6)

D = 7 (O2)

In the final step, we substitute the coefficient and verify the result of L.H.S. and R.H.S.

4 CO2 + 6 H2O = 2 C2H6 + 7 O2

Atoms                          L.H.S.                          R.H.S.

C                                 4                                  4

H                                 12                                12

O                                 14                                14

So, 4CO2 + 6H2O = 2C2H6 + 7O2 is the balanced equation now and L.H.S. is equal to R.H.S.

How to balance CH3OH + O2 = CO2 + H2O?

CH3OH + O2 = CO2 + H2O reaction is not balanced properly, so we have to balance this equation properly .

So, we just start solving the balance equation by using labeling the individual molecules.

(A)CH3OH + (B)O2 = (C)CO2 + (D)H2O

Now we created the number equation for the coefficient for every atom.

C = A = C

H = 4A = 2D

O = A + 2B = 2C + D

So, in this reaction numbers of H and O are not balanced so we have to balance the whole equation but the top priority is to balance H and O along with C.

Now using the gauss elimination, we get,

A – C = 0

4A – 2D = 0

A + 2B -2C -D = 0

Now the result which shows the lowest integer,

A = 4 (CH3OH)

B = 6 (O2)

C = 4 (CO2)

D = 8 (H2O)

In the final step, we substitute the coefficient and verify the result of L.H.S. and R.H.S.

4 CH3OH + 6 O2 = 4 CO2 + 8 H2O

Atoms                          L.H.S.                          R.H.S.

C                                 4                                  4

H                                 16                                16                   

O                                 16                                16

So, 4CH3OH + 6O2 = 4CO2 + 8H2O is the balanced equation now and L.H.S. is equal to R.H.S.

Conclusion

The reaction CO2 + H2O is an example of an addition reaction or we can say that in a particular nucleophilic addition reaction. Hydroxide ion from water molecule acts as nucleophile here. To balance the CO2 + H2O reaction we need to know how many reluctant will react to produce how many products and according to that stoichiometric calculation, the weight of the reactants will be measured. Even with an unknown reaction, we can know how many reactants will be required so balancing an equation is very important.