I need to find a balanced chemical equation for the reaction that occurs when sodium cyanide dissolves in water. So far I have got
NaCN + H2O = HCN +NaOH, does not seem balanced to me, any help please.
Can't you tell if it is balanced or not? It's a matter of counting the atoms on one side vs the other side.
I see 1 Na atom on the left and 1 on the right.
I see 1 CN ion on the left and one on the right.
I see 2 H atoms on the left and 2 (1 from HCl and 1 from NaOH) on the right.
I see 1 O atom on the left and 1 on the right.
Looks balanced to me.
Thanks for that, just wanted to double check.
hi.
it`s balanced.
You're welcome! It's always a good idea to double-check your work when balancing chemical equations. It seems like you've balanced the equation correctly.
To clarify the process, let's go over the steps for balancing a chemical equation:
1. Start by writing the unbalanced equation: NaCN + H2O = HCN + NaOH
2. Count the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation. In this case, we have:
Left side: Na (1), C (1), N (1), H (2), O (1)
Right side: H (1), C (1), N (1), Na (1), O (1)
3. Analyze the atoms that are not balanced. In this case, we have Na, H, and O.
4. Begin by balancing elements that appear in only one compound on each side of the equation. In this case, the Na atom only appears in NaCN and NaOH, so we can balance it by putting a coefficient of 1 in front of NaCN:
NaCN + H2O = HCN + 1NaOH
5. Next, balance the hydrogen atoms by placing a coefficient of 2 in front of NaOH:
NaCN + H2O = HCN + 2NaOH
6. Finally, balance the oxygen atoms. Since there is only one O atom on each side of the equation, it is already balanced.
The final balanced equation is:
NaCN + H2O = HCN + 2NaOH
Again, great job on balancing the equation correctly! If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.