suggest a test chemical that can be added to the water sample to precipate the lead (II) ions. Show a chemical equation for the formation of the precipate you have chosen.
I chose Hg(N03)2 so
Pb2 + Hg(NO3)2 -->Pb(NO3)2 = Hg
I know I still have to balance it but is my equation right? Thanks so much!
I think what you have shown will not work. There are many Pb^+2 solutions that coexist with Hg(NO3)2. I would suggest adding sulfate ion, chromate ion, chloride ion, iodide ion, bromide ion, carbonate ion, etc for the precipitation of lead(II) ion. The sodium salt would work well; e.g.,
Pb(NO3)2 + NaCl ==> PbCl2 + NaNO3 which still needs to be balanced.
The equation you provided is not balanced correctly. Here's the balanced equation for the reaction between lead (II) ions and mercury (II) nitrate to form lead (II) nitrate and mercury precipitate:
Pb2+ + Hg(NO3)2 → Pb(NO3)2 + Hg
In this equation, the lead (II) ions (Pb2+) from the water sample react with mercury (II) nitrate (Hg(NO3)2) to form lead (II) nitrate (Pb(NO3)2) and mercury (Hg) precipitate.
To balance the equation, count the number of atoms of each element on both sides and adjust the coefficients accordingly. The balanced equation ensures that the same number of atoms of each element is present on both the reactant and product sides.
Please note that using mercury (II) nitrate as a test chemical to precipitate lead (II) ions is not recommended due to the highly toxic nature of mercury. Instead, a more suitable and safer option is sodium sulfate (Na2SO4).
The balanced equation for the reaction between lead (II) ions and sodium sulfate to form lead (II) sulfate and sodium ions is as follows:
Pb2+ + Na2SO4 → PbSO4 + 2Na+
In this equation, the lead (II) ions (Pb2+) react with sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) to form lead (II) sulfate (PbSO4) precipitate and sodium ions (Na+).
Remember, always prioritize safety when handling chemicals.