1. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) reacts with calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in a acid-base neutralization reaction.
2. The HCl acts as an acid and donates a proton to the CaCO3 base.
3. This causes the CaCO3 to break down into calcium chloride (CaCl2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) gas.
4. The overall balanced chemical equation for the reaction is: CaCO3(s) + 2HCl(aq) → CaCl2(aq) + H2O(l) + CO2(g