A hydrochloric acid solution will neutralize a sodium hydroxide solution. Consider the molecular views showing one beaker of HCl and four beakers of NaOH. Write a balanced chemical equation for the neutralization reaction.

NaOH (aq) + HCl (aq) → NaCl (aq) + H₂O (l)

Explanation:

In a neutralization reaction, an acid reacts with a base to form a salt and water. In this case, both the acid and base are strong, so they will complete dissociating. The acid will form the ions H⁺ and Cl⁻, and the base will form the ions Na⁺ and OH⁻.

H⁺ and OH⁻ will form H₂O, and Na⁺ and Cl⁻ will form the salt NaCl, which is soluble, so will be in the aqueous phase. The chemical equation is:

NaOH (aq) + HCl (aq) → NaCl (aq) + H₂O (l)

Note that all the elements have the same amount at both sides of the equation, so it is balanced.