To solve the problem of finding the chemical formula of the salt produced by the neutralization of hydrobromic acid (HBr) with magnesium hydroxide ([tex]$Mg(OH)_2$[/tex]), we need to follow the steps of writing a balanced chemical equation and identifying the products.
1. Identify the reactants:
- Hydrobromic acid (HBr)
- Magnesium hydroxide ([tex]$Mg(OH)_2$[/tex])
2. Write the chemical equation for the reaction:
Neutralization reactions between an acid and a base generally produce a salt and water.
3. Determine the reaction:
- HBr is a strong acid.
- [tex]$Mg(OH)_2$[/tex] is a strong base.
4. Combine HBr and [tex]$Mg(OH)_2$[/tex] to form a balanced equation:
[tex]\[
2 \text{HBr} + \text{Mg(OH)}_2 \rightarrow \text{MgBr}_2 + 2 \text{H}_2\text{O}
\][/tex]
Here’s how this works:
- Each [tex]$Mg(OH)_2$[/tex] provides one [tex]$Mg^{2+}$[/tex] ion and two [tex]$OH^-$[/tex] ions.
- Each HBr provides one [tex]$H^+$[/tex] ion and one [tex]$Br^-$[/tex] ion.
- The [tex]$Mg^{2+}$[/tex] ion will combine with two [tex]$Br^-$[/tex] ions to form magnesium bromide ([tex]$\text{MgBr}_2$[/tex]).
- The remaining [tex]$H^+$[/tex] ions from 2 HBr will combine with [tex]$OH^-$[/tex] ions to form water ([tex]$\text{H}_2\text{O}$[/tex]).
5. Identify the salt:
The compound formed from combining [tex]$Mg^{2+}$[/tex] and [tex]$Br^-$[/tex] is magnesium bromide, [tex]$\text{MgBr}_2$[/tex].
Therefore, the chemical formula of the salt produced in this reaction is [tex]$\text{MgBr}_2$[/tex].
