I need to know if both my chem professor and my book are wrong.

Here is the problem I am having...I am doing some stuff on balancing equations, total net ionic equations, and net ionic equations.

I usually check my work at http://www.webqc.org/balance.php

Go there and type in NaCl + AgNO3 =

And you get two choices.


Na2CO3 + HCl = CO2 + H2O + NaCl (I don't understand why I'm getting a salt out of this, and I will explain why in a second)

Na2CO3 + HCl = H2CO3 + NaCl (what I believe is the actual answer...at least given the parameters I was given).

The book says this...

"Acid base neutralization reactions are processes in which an acid reacts with a
base to yield water plus an ionic compound called a salt. We will look at both
acids and bases in more detail in Chapter 10, but you might recall for the
moment that we previously defined acids as compounds that produce H(+) ions
and bases as compounds that produce OH(-) ions when dissolved in water
(Section 4.11). ( , p. 99) Thus, a neutralization reaction removes H(+) and (OH-)
ions from solution and yields neutral H2O."

My professor also said to know something is an acid, check and see if there is an H in front of the compound. If it's a base, then look for OH.

Now, logically speaking... I don't see how this
Na2CO3 + HCl = CO2 + H2O + NaCl

an acid base reaction. Yes, you have an acid, yes you are producing water, but according to what a base was defined as (as having the OH- compound) then it isn't an acid base reaction...yet you are taking two aquerious solutions and deriving a salt and water from it...so yea, wtf...

Is something wrong here?

When the carbonate ion dissolves in water, the following reaction occurs:

[Equation 1] CO3^2-(aq) + H2O(l) ⇌ HCO3^-(aq) + OH^-(aq)

Notice that the carbonate ion accepts a proton (H^+) from H2O which then becomes OH^-.

Hence the carbonate ion is a base as it produces hydroxide ions in water.