How do I balance this equation for silver nitrate and sodium chloride reacting to form sodium nitrate and silver chloride.
AgNO3 + NaCl = AgCl2 + NaNO3
IT wont balance, because the formula for silver chloride is wrong. AgCl is the correct formula
but i thought that Cl always had to have a 2 after it.
I thought that Cl always needed to have a 2 after it
Bob is correct. Cl does not always have to have a 2 after it.
To balance this equation, you need to ensure that there are equal numbers of each type of atom on both sides of the equation. Here's how you can go about balancing this equation:
1. Start with the Silver (Ag) atoms. There is one Ag atom on the left side (AgNO3) and one Ag atom on the right side (AgCl2).
AgNO3 + NaCl = AgCl2 + NaNO3
2. Next, balance the Nitrogen (N) atoms. There is one N atom on the left side (AgNO3) and one N atom on the right side (NaNO3).
AgNO3 + NaCl = AgCl2 + NaNO3
3. Now, look at the Oxygen (O) atoms. There are three O atoms on the left side (AgNO3) and three O atoms on the right side (NaNO3).
AgNO3 + NaCl = AgCl2 + NaNO3
4. Finally, balance the Chlorine (Cl) atoms. There is one Cl atom on the left side (NaCl) and two Cl atoms on the right side (AgCl2).
AgNO3 + NaCl = AgCl + NaNO3
The balanced equation is:
AgNO3 + NaCl = AgCl + NaNO3