Why is reacting sodium metal with dilute sulphuric acid a bad idea?
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Why is reacting sodium metal with dilute sulphuric acid a bad idea?
Sodium is an alkali metal; elements in this group are highly reactive with water.
Here's the general equation; alkali metal=M in this example.
2M(s) + 2H20(l) --> 2M+(aq) + 2 HO-(aq) + H2(g)
This is an incredibly exothermic reaction; the energy released from the reaction of Na and H20 is usually enough to ignite the hydrogen gas formed in the reaction.
In plain words - EXPLOSION!!
Now, I realize you are talking about dilute H2SO4, but the result is roughly similar.
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