Does the equation follow the law of conservation of matter?
2As+6NaOH-->2Na3ASO3+NH2
Nope - no Nitrogen on the left side
not enough Hydrogen on the right side
To determine if the equation follows the law of conservation of matter, we need to check if the number and type of atoms are the same on both sides of the equation. The law of conservation of matter states that matter cannot be created or destroyed; it can only change forms or be rearranged in a chemical reaction.
Let's break down the equation and count the number of atoms of each element on both sides:
On the left side:
- There are 2 atoms of As (arsenic).
- There are 6 atoms of Na (sodium).
- There are 6 atoms of O (oxygen).
- There are 1 atom of H (hydrogen).
- There are 1 atom of N (nitrogen).
On the right side:
- There are 6 atoms of Na (sodium).
- There are 6 atoms of O (oxygen).
- There are 2 atoms of As (arsenic).
- There are 1 atom of N (nitrogen).
- There are 2 atoms of H (hydrogen).
By comparing the number and type of atoms on both sides, we can see that the equation does not follow the law of conservation of matter. The number of atoms of each element is not balanced.
To balance the equation and make it follow the law of conservation of matter, we need to adjust the coefficients (numbers in front of the molecules) to make the number of atoms of each element the same on both sides.
To determine if the equation follows the law of conservation of matter, we need to balance the equation by ensuring that the same number of atoms of each element are present on both sides of the equation.
The unbalanced equation is:
2As + 6NaOH --> 2Na3AsO3 + NH2
Let's balance the equation step-by-step:
1. Start by balancing the arsenic (As) atoms:
The left side has 2 As atoms, and the right side has 1 As atom. To balance this, we can put a coefficient of 2 in front of Na3AsO3.
2As + 6NaOH --> 2Na3AsO3 + NH2
2. Next, balance the sodium (Na) atoms:
The left side has 6 Na atoms, and the right side has 6 Na atoms. Sodium is already balanced.
3. Now, balance the oxygen (O) atoms:
The left side has 6 O atoms (from 6 OH groups), and the right side has 6 O atoms (from 3 AsO3 groups). By placing a coefficient of 2 in front of NaOH, we will have 6 O atoms on both sides.
2As + 2 * 3NaOH --> 2Na3AsO3 + NH2
4. Finally, balance the hydrogen (H) and nitrogen (N) atoms:
The left side has 6 H atoms (from 6 OH groups), and the right side has 2 H atoms (from NH2). By placing a coefficient of 6 in front of NH2, we will have 6 H atoms on the right side as well.
2As + 2 * 3NaOH --> 2Na3AsO3 + 6NH2
The balanced equation is:
2As + 6NaOH --> 2Na3AsO3 + 6NH2
Therefore, the equation now follows the law of conservation of matter as the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation.