Solid zinc sulfate and aqueous calcium acetate yield solid zinc acetate and aqueous calcium sulfate.
The given chemical equation is:
Solid zinc sulfate + Aqueous calcium acetate → Solid zinc acetate + Aqueous calcium sulfate
To understand the reaction, we need to know the chemical formulas of the compounds involved:
Zinc sulfate: ZnSO₄
Calcium acetate: Ca(C₂H₃O₂)₂
Zinc acetate: Zn(C₂H₃O₂)₂
Calcium sulfate: CaSO₄
Based on the equation, it shows that solid zinc sulfate and aqueous calcium acetate react to produce solid zinc acetate and aqueous calcium sulfate.
To balance the equation, we need to ensure that the number of atoms on both sides of the equation is equal. Since we have only one calcium atom on each side, we can start by balancing calcium. Therefore, the equation becomes:
ZnSO₄ + Ca(C₂H₃O₂)₂ → Zn(C₂H₃O₂)₂ + CaSO₄
Next, we can balance the sulfate ions (SO₄) by adding a coefficient of 1 in front of the sulfate products:
ZnSO₄ + Ca(C₂H₃O₂)₂ → Zn(C₂H₃O₂)₂ + CaSO₄
Now, we need to balance the zinc and acetate ions. We can achieve this by adding a coefficient of 1 in front of the zinc sulfate and zinc acetate:
1ZnSO₄ + Ca(C₂H₃O₂)₂ → 1Zn(C₂H₃O₂)₂ + CaSO₄
Finally, we need to balance the calcium and acetate ions. By placing a coefficient of 1 in front of the calcium acetate and calcium sulfate, the equation is fully balanced:
1ZnSO₄ + 1Ca(C₂H₃O₂)₂ → 1Zn(C₂H₃O₂)₂ + 1CaSO₄
Therefore, the balanced chemical equation for the reaction between solid zinc sulfate and aqueous calcium acetate is:
ZnSO₄ + Ca(C₂H₃O₂)₂ → Zn(C₂H₃O₂)₂ + CaSO₄