I am having trouble balancing this equation:
Ca(OH){subscript 2} + (NH{subscript 4}){subscript 2} SO{subscript 4} -> CaSO{subscript 4} + NH{subscript 3} + H{subscript 2} O
Please help, thanks.
Response
Ca(OH)2 + (NH4)2SO4 --> CaSO4+ 2NH3 + ?___H2O
I'm still confused...
GK did this one and several others for you. GK filled in all the coefficients EXCEPT for one which was left blank. Since you have all the numbers except the one in the blank, it's your job to fill in the blank.
Oh, ok. But this one doesn't make sense to me. On the right side of the equation, there are 6 hydrogen, right? But then on the right, there are 8. So how can that work? I don't understand.
Wait, I think I have it. Would a "2" go in the blank?
There are not 8 H atoms on the right side. There are 6 from the 2NH3 and an unknown number for the H2O because that coefficient was left blank. You are supposed to fill in the blank so the H atoms (and O at the same time) balance. Go back and reread your post because you said, "On the RIGHT side of the equation, there are 6 hydrogen, right? But then on the RIGHT, there are 8." I'm sure you meant LEFT side for one of those rights? I see 10 H atoms on the left side. There are 2 H atoms from Ca(OH)2 and 8 more from the (NH4)2SO4 to make a total of 2 + 8 = 10 H atoms on the left.
Right. So am I correct, would the 2 be in that blank?
Yes, a 2 goes there. Good work.
Balancing chemical equations can be a bit confusing at first, but with practice, it becomes easier. Let's go step by step to balance this equation.
First, let's count the number of atoms on both sides of the equation:
On the left-hand side:
- We have one calcium (Ca) atom.
- We have two oxygen (O) atoms in the hydroxide (OH) group, meaning we have two hydroxide (OH) groups, making a total of four oxygen atoms.
- We have two hydrogen (H) atoms in each hydroxide (OH) group, so we have four hydrogen atoms.
On the right-hand side:
- We have one calcium (Ca) atom.
- We have one sulfur (S) atom in the sulfate (SO4) group.
- We have four oxygen (O) atoms in the sulfate (SO4) group.
- We have two nitrogen (N) atoms in the ammonia (NH3) molecule.
- We have two hydrogen (H) atoms in the ammonia (NH3) molecule.
Currently, the equation looks like this:
Ca(OH)2 + (NH4)2SO4 --> CaSO4 + 2NH3 + ?___H2O
To balance the equation, we need to make sure that the number of each type of atom is the same on both sides.
Starting with the calcium (Ca) atom, we can see that we already have one on both sides, so we don't need to make any changes.
Next, let's balance the sulfur (S) atom. Currently, we have one sulfate (SO4) group on the right-hand side, so we need to have one sulfate (SO4) group on the left-hand side as well. To do this, we can add a coefficient of one in front of the calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) compound:
Ca(OH)2 + (NH4)2SO4 --> CaSO4 + 2NH3 + ?___H2O
Now let's move on to balancing the oxygen (O) atoms. On the left-hand side, we have four oxygen atoms, while on the right-hand side, we have only one oxygen atom in the sulfate (SO4) group. To balance the equation, we can add a coefficient of four in front of the water (H2O) compound:
Ca(OH)2 + (NH4)2SO4 --> CaSO4 + 2NH3 + 4H2O
Now let's balance the nitrogen (N) atoms. On the right-hand side, we have two ammonia (NH3) molecules, which gives us a total of two nitrogen atoms. To balance this, we need to add a coefficient of two in front of the ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) compound:
Ca(OH)2 + 2(NH4)2SO4 --> CaSO4 + 2NH3 + 4H2O
Finally, let's balance the hydrogen (H) atoms. On the left-hand side, we have eight hydrogen atoms, while on the right-hand side, we have four hydrogen atoms in the ammonia (NH3) molecules and another four hydrogen atoms in the water (H2O) molecules. Therefore, we don't need to make any changes to balance the hydrogen atoms.
The final balanced equation is:
Ca(OH)2 + 2(NH4)2SO4 --> CaSO4 + 2NH3 + 4H2O
I hope this explanation helps you understand how to balance chemical equations. Feel free to ask if you have any further questions!