How many hydroxide ions must be added to the following reaction to balance in basic conditions?
3cd(s) + 8H ^+ + 2NO3 ^- → 3Cd ^2+ (aq) + 2NO(g) + 4 H2O (el)
Options:
a) 8 to the product side
b) 4 to the reactant side
c) 4 to the product side
d) 4 to both sides
e) 8 to both sides
To balance the reaction in basic conditions, we need to add hydroxide ions (OH^-) to neutralize the excess H^+ ions.
In this reaction, there are 8 H^+ ions on the reactant side, so we need to add 8 OH^- ions.
Therefore, the correct answer is: a) 8 to the product side.