What is the chemical equation that describes the reaction between sodium metal and ethanoic acid?

The first step to balancing this equation is to convert the words into chemical formulas. From your question, we are able to write:

sodium metal and ethanoic acid = Na + CH3COOH

Next, we need to determine the type of reaction and the products formed. Because there is one metal reacting with a compound, we will assume that this is a single replacement reaction. Thus, it can be assumed that the following products are produced.

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The first step to balancing this equation is to convert the words into chemical formulas. From your question, we are able to write:

sodium metal and ethanoic acid = Na + CH3COOH

Next, we need to determine the type of reaction and the products formed. Because there is one metal reacting with a compound, we will assume that this is a single replacement reaction. Thus, it can be assumed that the following products are produced.

Na + CH3COOH `->`  H2 + NaCH3COO

During a chemical reaction, the bonds of the reactants are broken. The atoms of the reactants are then rearranged to form new products. According to the law of conservation of matter, matter cannot be created nor destroyed. Therefore, we need to check that chemical equation is balanced by making sure there are equal numbers of each type of atom on either side of the equation.

Na + CH3COOH  `->` H2 + NaCH3COO

Na = 1                   Na = 1  

C = 2                      C = 2

O = 2                     O = 2

H = 4                     H = 5

The hydrogens are not equal on both sides, thus the equation needs to balanced using coefficients. The final, balanced equation is written below.

2Na + 2CH3COOH  `->` H2 + 2NaCH3COO