What are the products when sulfuric acid reacts with sodium hydroxide in the described stoichiometry?

What are the products when sulfuric acid reacts with sodium hydroxide in the described stoichiometry?

• A. Na2SO4 and 2 H2O
• B. Na2SO3 and H2O
• C. NaHSO4 and H2O
• D. Na2SO4 and H2

Answer: (A)

This question tests how a diprotic acid reacts with a strong base in a neutralization to form a salt and water. Sulfuric acid can donate two protons, and sodium hydroxide provides two hydroxide ions per mole. When they react, the two H+ from the acid pair with two OH− from the base to make two water molecules, and the sodium ions coat the sulfate to form the salt. The balanced equation is H2SO4 + 2 NaOH → Na2SO4 + 2 H2O. That’s why the products are sodium sulfate and water. The other options don’t fit this neutralization pattern. Forming NaHSO4 would come from only partial neutralization (one proton removed), and producing Na2SO3 would require a reduction step not present in a simple acid–base reaction. Generating H2 would require a reaction that releases hydrogen gas (like a metal reacting with acid), not a base neutralization.

This question tests how a diprotic acid reacts with a strong base in a neutralization to form a salt and water. Sulfuric acid can donate two protons, and sodium hydroxide provides two hydroxide ions per mole. When they react, the two H+ from the acid pair with two OH− from the base to make two water molecules, and the sodium ions coat the sulfate to form the salt. The balanced equation is H2SO4 + 2 NaOH → Na2SO4 + 2 H2O. That’s why the products are sodium sulfate and water.

The other options don’t fit this neutralization pattern. Forming NaHSO4 would come from only partial neutralization (one proton removed), and producing Na2SO3 would require a reduction step not present in a simple acid–base reaction. Generating H2 would require a reaction that releases hydrogen gas (like a metal reacting with acid), not a base neutralization.