Magnesium can react with aqueous nitric acid, HNO3, to form hydrogen gas and magnesium nitrate. Write down the balanced chemical equation for this reaction, remembering to use the state symbols.
Mg(s) + 2HNO3(aq) ---> Mg(NO3)2(aq) + H2(g)
To write the balanced chemical equation for the reaction between magnesium and aqueous nitric acid, we need to consider the elements and their charges in the compounds involved.
The reactants are:
1. Magnesium (Mg) - a metal with a charge of +2.
2. Nitric acid (HNO3) - a compound made up of hydrogen (H) with a charge of +1, nitrogen (N) with a charge of +5, and oxygen (O) with a charge of -2.
The products are:
1. Hydrogen gas (H2) - a diatomic molecule with no charge.
2. Magnesium nitrate (Mg(NO3)2) - a compound made up of magnesium (Mg) with a charge of +2 and nitrate (NO3) ions, where nitrogen (N) has a charge of +5 and oxygen (O) has a charge of -2.
Now we can write the balanced chemical equation:
Mg + 2HNO3 -> Mg(NO3)2 + H2
This equation shows that one magnesium atom reacts with two molecules of nitric acid to produce one molecule of magnesium nitrate and one molecule of hydrogen gas.
Remember to use state symbols (s for solid, l for liquid, g for gas, and aq for aqueous) to indicate the physical state of each substance.