Balance the equation Ca(NO3)2 + NaOH yields Ca (OH)2 + NaNO3
To balance the equation Ca(NO3)2 + NaOH → Ca(OH)2 + NaNO3, we need to make equal numbers of each type of atom on both sides of the equation.
Let's start by counting the number of atoms on each side of the equation:
CaNO3: 1 calcium (Ca), 2 nitrogen (N), and 6 oxygen (O)
NaOH: 1 sodium (Na), 1 oxygen (O), and 1 hydrogen (H)
Ca(OH)2: 1 calcium (Ca), 2 oxygen (O), and 2 hydrogen (H)
NaNO3: 1 sodium (Na), 1 nitrogen (N), and 3 oxygen (O)
Now, let's balance the equation step by step:
1. Balance the calcium (Ca) atoms:
There is 1 Ca atom on the left side and 1 Ca atom on the right side. The equation is currently balanced in terms of calcium.
2. Balance the nitrogen (N) atoms:
There are 2 N atoms on the left side and 1 N atom on the right side. To balance the nitrogen atoms, we need to add a coefficient of 2 in front of NaNO3:
Ca(NO3)2 + 2NaOH → Ca(OH)2 + 2NaNO3
3. Balance the oxygen (O) atoms:
On the left side, the total number of oxygen atoms is 2 from Ca(NO3)2 and 1 from NaOH, resulting in 3 oxygen atoms. On the right side, we have 2 from Ca(OH)2 and 6 from 2NaNO3, giving us a total of 8 oxygen atoms. To balance the oxygen atoms, we need to add a coefficient of 4 in front of NaOH:
Ca(NO3)2 + 4NaOH → Ca(OH)2 + 2NaNO3
4. Balance the hydrogen (H) atoms:
On the left side, the total number of hydrogen atoms is 4 from 4NaOH. On the right side, we have 4 from Ca(OH)2. The equation is currently balanced in terms of hydrogen.
Now the balanced equation is:
Ca(NO3)2 + 4NaOH → Ca(OH)2 + 2NaNO3