Balance both the atoms and charges of the following chemical equation:
Ce4+ + S2 −→ Ce3+ + S
This is what I came up with:
3Ce4+ + S2 −→ 4Ce3+ + 2S
Correct
Nope. Note correct. The atoms don't balance (4Ce on right and 3 on left as well as 1 S on left and 2 on right) and charges don't balance (10+ on left and 12+ on right).
2Ce^4+ + S^2- ==> 2Ce^3+ + S
To balance the atoms and charges in this chemical equation, follow these steps:
1. Start by balancing the atoms of each element apart from hydrogen and oxygen.
- In this equation, we have Ce (cerium) and S (sulfur) atoms.
2. Count the number of atoms on each side of the equation and adjust the coefficients as needed.
- On the left side, we have 1 Ce atom and 1 S atom.
- On the right side, we have 1 Ce atom and 1 S atom.
3. Next, balance the charges.
- The charge on Ce4+ is +4, and the charge on S2- is -2.
- The charge on Ce3+ is +3, and the charge on S is 0.
4. To balance the charges, multiply each species by an integer to ensure that the total charge is the same on both sides of the equation.
- In this case, we need to multiply Ce4+ by 3 to obtain a total charge of +12 on the left side.
- We also need to multiply S2- by 2 to obtain a total charge of -4 on the left side.
The balanced equation becomes:
3Ce4+ + 2S2- → 4Ce3+ + S
So, your balanced equation (3Ce4+ + S2−→ 4Ce3+ + 2S) is incorrect. The correct balanced equation is:
3Ce4+ + 2S2- → 4Ce3+ + S