Question

There are two steps in the usual industrial preparation of acrylic acid, the immediate precursor of several useful plastics. In the first step, calcium carbide and water react to form acetylene and calcium hydroxide: (s)(g)(g)(s) In the second step, acetylene, carbon dioxide and water react to form acrylic acid: (g)(g)(g)(g) Write the net chemical equation for the production of acrylic acid from calcium carbide, water and carbon dioxide. Be sure your equation is balanced.

Answer 1

The question is incomplete, here is the complete question:

There are two steps in the usual industrial preparation of acrylic acid, the immediate precursor of several useful plastics. In the first step, calcium carbide and water react to form acetylene and calcium hydroxide:

$CaC_2(s)+2H_2O(g)\rightarrow C_2H_2(g)+Ca(OH)_2(s)$  

In the second step, acetylene, carbon dioxide and water react to form acrylic acid:  

$6C_2H_2(g)+3CO_2(g)+4H_2O(g)\rightarrow 5CH_2CHCO_2H(g)$  

Write the net chemical equation for the production of acrylic acid from calcium carbide, water and carbon dioxide. Be sure your equation is balanced.

Answer: The net chemical equation is written below.

Explanation:

The intermediate balanced chemical reaction are:

(1)  $CaC_2(s)+2H_2O(g)\rightarrow C_2H_2(g)+Ca(OH)_2(s)$     ( × 6 )

(2)  $6C_2H_2(g)+3CO_2(g)+4H_2O(g)\rightarrow 5CH_2CHCO_2H(g)$  

To omit acetylene from the net chemical reaction, we multiply Equation (1) by 6.

Equation 1:  $6CaC_2(s)+12H_2O(g)\rightarrow 6C_2H_2(g)+6Ca(OH)_2(s)$

Equation 2:  $6C_2H_2(g)+3CO_2(g)+4H_2O(g)\rightarrow 5CH_2CHCO_2H(g)$  

Net chemical equation:   $6CaC_2(s)+3CO_2(g)+16H_2O(g)\rightarrow 5CH_2CHCO_2H(g)+6Ca(OH)_2(s)$

Hence, the net chemical equation is written above.