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Answers to Readers' Questions on Chemistry:
Chemical Equations
The following 20 comments and questions have been sent in. They are listed according to date.
List of first 10 items
- Product of reaction CH3OH + HCOOH
- Combining nitrogen and oxygen
- Copper carbonate + hydrochloric acid
- Balancing equation to show neutralization
- How to balance the complex chemical equations?
- ATP --> ADP + P + Energy
- Help me balance this equation
- Protons in Nitrogen
- Don't understand how to balance equations
- What is the importance of balancing equations?
Product of reaction CH3OH + HCOOH
Question
March 21, 2008
what is the product of reaction CH3OH + HCOOH
ARPIT - India
15577
Answer
CH3OH + HCOOH ==> HCOOCH3 + H2O
Combining nitrogen and oxygen
Question
January 20, 2008
What is the name of the compound and chemical balanced equation formed by Nitrogen and Oxygen?
Thanks and I will appreciate your answers very much.
Gibson - PNG
15177
Answer
Common compounds with Nitrogen and Oxygen are Nitric oxide (NO), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and Nitrous oxide (N2O).
Combine N2 + O2 --> 2NO
N2 + 2O2 --> 2NO2
2N2 + O2 --> 2N2O
Copper carbonate + hydrochloric acid
Question
January 13, 2008
what is the answer to this question : finish the word equation fot the reaction between copper(II) carbonate and hydrochlorich.
copper(II) carbonate + hydrochloric acid --> ........... + ........... + ...........
please answer this question as it will really help me do good in my test.
thank you
deaglan - UK
15117
Answer
You really need to start with the chemical equation: CuCO3 + HCl --> H2O + CO2 + CuCl2. Then you can name the compounds.
Balancing equation to show neutralization
Question
December 11, 2007
what is meant by the word 'by'in the following statment
write balance equation to show the neutralisation of:calcium hydroxide by hydrochloric acid
fran - Trinidad
14956
Answer
CaOH is a base, which is caustic. You can neutralize it by adding an acid, such as HCl, to create a salt. Although combining the two substances should be done in water solutions, the equation usually does not include the extra water. The equation is CaOH + HCl --> CaCl + H2O.
How to balance the complex chemical equations?
Question
July 15, 2007
How to balance the complex chemical equations? I tried many times but I cannot balance it?
S+ _ HNO3---> H2SO4+ _ NO2+ _ H2O ??
and another thing why they dont write any co-efficient towards Phospine(PH3)??
P4+3NaOH+3H2O--->PH3+3NaH2PO2
Uday - USA
14075
Answer
The logic to follow is to first count the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation. Since there is 1 H on the left and 4 H on the right, change the equation to S + 4(HNO3) --> H2SO4 + NO2 + H2O.
But now there are 4 N on the left and 1 N on the right, so change it again to S + 4(HNO3) --> H2SO4 + 4(NO2) + H2O.
But now we have 12 O on the left and 17 O on the right. To me, this indicates there is something missing in the equation. I don't see any way to change the number of items to get the left and right O to be equal.
In your second equation, count the number of each element on both sides, and you will find they are all equal.
ATP --> ADP + P + Energy
Question
June 29, 2006
do you know the symbolic equation for
ATP --> ADP + P + Energy
george - UK
11412
Answer
See: http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookATP.html for information on that equation.
Help me balance this equation
Question
April 15, 2006
I was wondering if you could help me balance this equation that I found in a Chem lab that I did:
CuSO4"5H20 + K2C2O4"H20 = K2Cu(C2O4)2"2H20
It's been driving me nuts!
Thanks!
Catie - USA
10852
Answer
Often such equations are written as an algebraic equation, with x, y, z etc as unknowns.
I'm not sure what " is supposed to indicate.
The biggest problem is that the left side has S but there is no sulfur on the right side of the equation.
Protons in Nitrogen
Question
June 21, 2005
How many protons, electrons, and neutrons are in Nitrogen
Tonja - USA
7331
Answer
The number of protons and electrons equals the atomic number. The number of protons plus the number of neutrons equals the atomic weight (rounded off).
Don't understand how to balance equations
Question
September 25, 2004
I dont really understand how to balance a chemical equation. Can you help me understand by e-mail.
Billy - USA
4393
Answer
You really need to follow a logical and step-to-step approach. Must of it is trial and error, where you try a logical number for one item and see what the others would be.
Take a look at the Reader feedback on that page. There are some examples there.
I hope that helps.
What is the importance of balancing equations?
Question
February 12, 2003
I would be glad if you could supply me answers to the following:
(1) Importance of balancing chemical equation in chemistry?
(2) Steps in balancing chemical equations in chemistry?
Please, I am a final year student of the University of Nigeria Nsukka and I need answers to the above questions to enable me complete my research on that.
Thanks
Dept. of Education - Chemistry
Ruth -
1978
Answer
The left side of the chemical equation shows what materials you start with. They may be elements, molecules or chemical compounds. The right side of the equation shows what compounds and molecules result from the mixture and chemical reaction. In order for the equation to be correct, the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation must be equal.
To show you the method used in a very simply example, consider adding an H molecule and O molecule together to make a water molecule.
The equation is H2 + O2 --> H2O. But this equation is not correct, because there are 2 O atoms on the left side but only one O on the right side. Thus, you will have to adjust the amounts of the molecules until both sides are correct.
If you put a 2 in front of the water, you get H2 + O2 --> 2H2O. Now there are 2 O atoms on each side, but there are also 4 H atoms on the right side. So make another adjustment.
2H2 + O2 --> 2H2O is the correct answer, because there are now 4 H and 2 O on each side of the equation.
Once you have the initial equation, you must use trial and error until you fine the correct amounts for both sides of the equation.
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