What mass of calcium carbonate (in grams) can be dissolved by 4.0 g of hcl? (hint: begin by writing a balanced equation for the reaction between hydrochloric acid and calcium carbonate.) ?

The reaction between calcium carbonate and hydrochloric acid can be expressed through the chemical reaction,

CaCO3 + 2HCl - - > CaCl2 + H2O + CO2

The molecular weight of calcium carbonate is 100 g/mol while that of hydrochloric acid is 36.45. The equation above depicts that 100 g of calcium carbonate can be dissolved in 72.9 g of hydrochloric acid.

x = (4 g HCl) (100 g CaCO3 / 72.9 HCl)

x = 5.49 g

Answer: 5.49 g