Metal compound A reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid to produce effervescence. The gas evolved extinguishes a burning candle. Write a balanced chemical equation for the reaction if one of the compounds formed is calcium chloride.

The gas that extinguishes a burning candle is carbon dioxide, which is formed by the action of dilute hydrochloric acid on a metal carbonate and produces effervescence. Now, since one of the compounds formed is calcium chloride, it shows that the metal compound is calcium carbonate. Thus, the metal compound A is calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Calcium carbonate reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid to form calcium chloride, carbon dioxide and water. This can be written as: