Question

sulfurous acid (h₂so₃) is a polyprotic acid. write balanced chemical equations for the sequence of reactions that sulfurous acid can undergo when its dissolved in water.

Explanation:

Step1: First ionization

Sulfurous acid (\(H_{2}SO_{3}\)) donates one \(H^{+}\) to water (\(H_{2}O\)).

$$H_{2}SO_{3}(aq)+H_{2}O(l) ightleftharpoons H_{3}O^{+}(aq)+HSO_{3}^{-}(aq)$$

Step2: Second ionization

The bisulfite ion (\(HSO_{3}^{-}\)) donates one \(H^{+}\) to water (\(H_{2}O\)).

$$HSO_{3}^{-}(aq)+H_{2}O(l) ightleftharpoons H_{3}O^{+}(aq)+SO_{3}^{2 -}(aq)$$

Answer:

$$H_{2}SO_{3}(aq)+H_{2}O(l) ightleftharpoons H_{3}O^{+}(aq)+HSO_{3}^{-}(aq)$$

$$HSO_{3}^{-}(aq)+H_{2}O(l) ightleftharpoons H_{3}O^{+}(aq)+SO_{3}^{2 -}(aq)$$