15 Facts on H2SO4-HG2(NO3)2: What, How To Balance & FAQs

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The reaction of sulphuric acid with mercury (I) nitrate yields a yellow crystalline powder. Let us study the reaction in detail.

Sulfuric acid is an important industrial and commodity chemical, produced from different methods such as the contact process, lead chamber process etc. The mercurous nitrate anhydrous is a yellow solid used as a precursor for other complexes of Hg2+2, mainly formed from the reaction of mercury with dilute nitric acid.

The following article studies in detail steps on net ionic reaction, balancing chemical reaction, etc.

What is the product of H2SO4 and Hg2(NO3)2?

Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) reacts with mercurous nitrate anhydrous (Hg2(NO3)2) to form mercurous sulfate ((Hg2)2(SO4)2) and nitric acid (HNO3).

H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2  = (Hg2)2(SO4)2 + HNO3

What type of reaction is H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2?

H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2  is a double displacement and neutralization reaction.

How to balance H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2?

Following steps are to be followed to balance a chemical reaction –

  • The unbalanced chemical reaction is written down as:
  • H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2   = (Hg2)2(SO4)2 + HNO3
  • The number of moles are tabulated as shown below :
Compounds Reactant Product
Hg 2 4
N 2 1
S 1 2
O 10 11
H 2 1
Number of moles of each element
  • A reaction is balanced when the number of moles on the LHS is equal to the number of moles on the RHS. Here, moles of each compounds are unbalanced.
  • Multiply Hg2(NO3)2 and H2SO4 with 2
  • Multiply HNO3 with 4
  • The Balanced chemical reaction is
  • 2H2SO4 + 2Hg2(NO3)2   → (Hg2)2(SO4)2 + 4HNO3

H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 Titration

No literature is available on the titration of H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2.

H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 net ionic equation

The net ionic equation is – 4Hg+(aq) + 2SO42-(aq) = (Hg2)2(SO4)2(s).

Following steps are to be followed:

  1. Write down the phase/state of each element:
  2. 2H2SO4(aq) + 2Hg2(NO3)2(aq) = (Hg2)2(SO4)2(s) + 4HNO3(aq)
  3. The complete ionic equation is written by separating ionic compounds into their respective ions –
  4. 4Hg+(aq) + 4NO3–(aq) + 4H+(aq) + 2SO42-(aq) = (Hg2)2(SO4)2(s) + 4H+(aq) + 4NO3–(aq)
  5. The common ions present on both side of the arrows are removed.
  6. 4Hg+(aq) + 4NO3–(aq) + 4H+(aq) + 2SO42-(aq) = (Hg2)2(SO4)2(s) + 4H+(aq) + 4NO3–(aq)
  7. The net ionic equation includes the species taking place in the reaction.
  8. The net ionic equation is –
  9. 4Hg+(aq) + 2SO42-(aq) = (Hg2)2(SO4)2(s).

H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 conjugate pairs

The conjugate acid-base pairs for H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2  are,

  • Conjugate acid of H2SO4 =  H3O+
  • Conjugate base of H2SO4  = HSO4– 
  • Conjugate base of Hg2(NO3)2  = NO3–

H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 intermolecular forces

The intermolecular forces on H2SO4 and Hg2(NO3)2 are,

H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 reaction enthalpy

H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 reaction enthalpy cannot be calculated since there is no literature available on the enthalpy of  Hg2(NO3)2.

Is H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 a buffer solution?

H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 is not a buffer solution because reaction takes place in presence of strong H2SO4  acid.

Is H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 a complete reaction?

H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 is a complete reaction since complete moles of reactant are consumed to form product at equilibrium.

Is H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 an exothermic or endothermic reaction?

In H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2, the exothermic or endothermic reaction cannot be determined, since reaction enthalpy is not calculated.

Is H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 a redox reaction?

H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 is not a redox reaction because there is no change in the oxidation state of elements during the reaction.

Is H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 a precipitation reaction?

H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 is a precipitation reaction since the formation of salt takes place during the reaction (Hg2)2(SO4)2.

Is H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 reversible or irreversible reaction?

H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 is an irreversible reaction, and can be reversed only when a drastic change in pressure or temperature is observed.

Is H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 displacement reaction?

H2SO4 + Hg2(NO3)2 exhibits a double displacement (metathesis) reaction. In this reaction, SO4 is traded with Hg2 to form Hg2(SO4)2, and H2 is traded with NO3 to form HNO3.

Conclusion

The sulfuric acid reacts with mercurous dinitrate to form mercurous sulfate and nitric acid. (Hg2)2(SO4)2 is used as a depolarizer in standard cells and used to make batteries. Nitric acid is used for the manufacturing of ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and is a major component of fertilizers.