Have I balanced this equation correctly
CN + NaOCL---OCN + NaCl
Not quite. CN is a polyatomic ion, so lets attach it to something, Na for instance. It could be anything (the time I had to get rid of a can of cyanide, it was KCN).
NaCN + NaOCl >> NaCl + NaCNO as the first stage, then the second reaction
NaCNO+NaOCl+H2O >>N2 + NaHCO3 + NaCl
I need to give a warning, during the first stage, it is IMPERATIVE to control pH, in an acid pH, CN gas will be emitted. So pH must be kept alkaline. I did this by adding small amounts of NaOH.
Now your question: yes, if you have only done the first stage, and you need to indicate ions CN-1 , OCl-1
Ooops, ion OCN-1
To determine if you have balanced the equation correctly, we need to check if the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the equation. Let's count the number of atoms for each element.
On the left side of the equation:
- Carbon (C): 1 atom
- Nitrogen (N): 1 atom
- Sodium (Na): 1 atom
- Oxygen (O): 1 atom
- Chlorine (Cl): 1 atom
On the right side of the equation:
- Carbon (C): 1 atom
- Nitrogen (N): 1 atom
- Oxygen (O): 1 atom
- Sodium (Na): 1 atom
- Chlorine (Cl): 1 atom
Since the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides, we can conclude that the equation is balanced correctly. Well done!