Inorganic reactions
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Hydrochloric acid is reacted with magnesium carbonate, the reaction produces MgCl2, water and carbon dioxide. I would like to know why and how hydrochloric acid and magnesium carbonate reaction produces MgCl2 and the rest of the products.
thanks
All carbonates react with acids in this way! Looking more deeply into the reaction, the hydronium ions in the hydrochloric acid donate protons to the carbonate ions, producing the hypothetical carbonic acid, H2CO3, which, if it is ever formed, immediately decomposes into carbon dioxide and water. In this process, the carbonate ion is acting as a base, of course.
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updated: 19 January 2006
