What are the half reactions for NH4ClO4 + Al = Al2O3 + AlCl3 + NO? I can balance it once i have the half reactions
See your post above.
To determine the half reactions for the given reaction NH4ClO4 + Al = Al2O3 + AlCl3 + NO, we need to break down the reaction into two separate half reactions.
A half reaction is a balanced equation that represents either the oxidation or reduction process occurring in the overall reaction. The oxidation half reaction represents the loss of electrons, while the reduction half reaction represents the gain of electrons.
Let's start by identifying which species are being oxidized and which are being reduced in this reaction:
NH4ClO4 + Al = Al2O3 + AlCl3 + NO
In this case, we see that the aluminum (Al) is being oxidized because it is going from a neutral state to a positive state (Al --> Al3+). Therefore, Al is the species being oxidized.
Now let's focus on the NO molecule. It is going from a neutral state to a positive state (NO --> NO+). Therefore, NO is the species being reduced in this reaction.
Next, we balance each half reaction:
Oxidation half reaction (Al being oxidized):
Al --> Al3+
Reduction half reaction (NO being reduced):
NO --> NO+
Now, let's balance the charges in each half reaction by adding electrons (e-):
Oxidation half reaction:
Al --> Al3+ + 3e-
Reduction half reaction:
NO + e- --> NO+
Finally, we balance the number of atoms on each side of the reaction:
Oxidation half reaction:
2Al --> 2Al3+ + 6e-
Reduction half reaction:
3NO + 3e- --> 3NO+
Now you can use these balanced half reactions to balance the overall reaction.