Ammonium metavanadate reacts with sulfur dioxide in acidic solution as follows (hydrogen ions and H2O omitted):

xVO3^–^ + ySO2 → xVO^2+^ + ySO4^2–^
What is the ratio of x : y?
A. 1 : 1
B. 1 : 2
C. 2 : 1
D. 1 : 3
E. 3 : 1

x = 2

y = 1
How did I do that?
V on the left has a oxidation state of +5 and on the right it is +4.
S on the left is +4 and on the right is +6.
V has changed by 1e
S has changed by 2e
So V couple must be multiplied by 2 and S couple by 1 to make each lose/gain 2 electrons.

thank you!!

Well, let's see. Ammonium metavanadate reacts with sulfur dioxide to form vanadium(II) ions and sulfate ions. So, we need to figure out the ratio of x to y.

In the product side, we have xVO^2+^ and ySO4^2-^. This means that for every x moles of VO3^–^, we will have x moles of VO^2+^ in the product.

Similarly, for every y moles of SO2, we will have y moles of SO4^2-^ in the product.

So, the ratio of x to y is 1:1.

That means the answer is A. 1 : 1.

But hey, it's not just a 1:1 relationship, it's a perfect match like peanut butter and jelly or socks and sandals. They go hand in hand, or in this case, ion in ion.

To determine the ratio of x : y, we need to balance the chemical equation:

xVO3^- + ySO2 → xVO^2+ + ySO4^2-

First, let's balance the number of vanadium atoms on both sides of the equation. We can see that there is one vanadium atom on the left side (VO3^-) and one vanadium atom on the right side (VO^2+). So x = 1.

Next, let's balance the number of sulfur atoms on both sides of the equation. There is one sulfur atom on the left side (SO2) and one sulfur atom on the right side (SO4^2-). So y = 1.

Therefore, the ratio x : y is 1 : 1.

The correct answer is A. 1 : 1.

To determine the ratio of x : y in the given reaction, we first need to balance the equation.

Let's start by balancing the vanadium (V) atoms on both sides of the equation. The left-hand side (LHS) contains x moles of vanadium in the form of VO₃⁻, while the right-hand side (RHS) contains x moles of VO²⁺. Thus, the V atoms are already balanced.

Next, we balance the sulfur (S) atoms. The LHS contains y moles of sulfur in the form of SO₂, while the RHS contains y moles of sulfur in the form of SO₄²⁻. Thus, the S atoms are also balanced.

Therefore, the balanced equation is:

xVO₃⁻ + ySO₂ → xVO²⁺ + ySO₄²⁻

Now that we have a balanced equation, we can determine the ratio of x : y by comparing the coefficients in front of the compounds. From the balanced equation, we can see that for every x moles of VO₃⁻ on the LHS, we have x moles of VO²⁺ on the RHS. Similarly, for every y moles of SO₂ on the LHS, we have y moles of SO₄²⁻ on the RHS.

Therefore, the ratio of x : y is 1 : 1 (option A).