Mercury dissolves in concentrated nitric acid, with the evolution of a reddish-brown gas, just as in the reaction shown in figure 5.4 on page 188 for copper. The oxidation state of the mercury after reaction is +2. Write a balanced net ionic equation for the reaction?
Hg + 4H+NO-3 ---> Hg2+(NO3-)2
+2NO2 + 2H2O
Hg + 4H+NO-3 ---> Hg2+(NO3-)2
+2NO2 + 2H2O
The above equations are not balanced (N and O for example).
The molecular equation is
Hg + 4HNO3 ==> Hg(NO3)2 + 2NO2 + 2H2O
To write a balanced net ionic equation for the reaction between mercury and concentrated nitric acid, you first need to understand the chemical formula and balancing of the reaction.
The reaction can be written as follows:
Hg + HNO3 → Hg(NO3)2 + NO + H2O
Now, let's break down the reaction into its ionic components and write the net ionic equation:
First, we need to identify the soluble compounds in the reaction. In this case, Hg(NO3)2 is soluble, while Hg and H2O are insoluble.
The balanced molecular equation can be written as:
Hg + 2HNO3 → Hg(NO3)2 + NO + H2O
To write the net ionic equation, we remove the spectator ions (ions that don't participate in the reaction). In this case, the H2O and Hg ions are spectators.
The net ionic equation becomes:
Hg + 2HNO3 → Hg(NO3)2 + NO
Therefore, the balanced net ionic equation for the reaction between mercury and concentrated nitric acid is:
Hg + 2HNO3 → Hg(NO3)2 + NO