Balance the following in basic solution using the lowest possible integers and give the coefficient of water.
MnO4- + C2O42- --> MnO2(s) +CO32-
To balance the given chemical equation:
Step 1: Identify the elements that are not balanced. In this equation, we need to balance manganese (Mn), carbon (C), and oxygen (O).
Step 2: Balance the elements that appear in only one or two compounds first. Let's start with manganese (Mn).
MnO4- + C2O42- --> MnO2(s) + CO32-
Count the number of Mn atoms on each side of the equation:
Left side: 1 Mn
Right side: 1 Mn
The manganese (Mn) is already balanced.
Step 3: Next, balance the carbon (C) atoms.
MnO4- + C2O42- --> MnO2(s) + CO32-
Count the number of C atoms on each side of the equation:
Left side: 2 C
Right side: 1 C
To balance the carbon atoms, we need to multiply CO32- by 2:
MnO4- + C2O42- --> MnO2(s) + 2CO32-
Now, let's move on to balancing the oxygen (O) atoms.
MnO4- + C2O42- --> MnO2(s) + 2CO32-
Count the number of O atoms on each side of the equation:
Left side: 4 + 8 = 12 O
Right side: 2 + (3 x 2) = 8 O
To balance the oxygen atoms, we need to add water (H2O) to the side that lacks oxygen. In this case, we need to add 4 H2O molecules to the right side:
MnO4- + C2O42- --> MnO2(s) + 2CO32- + 4H2O
Finally, double-check all the elements to ensure they are balanced.
MnO4- + C2O42- --> MnO2(s) + 2CO32- + 4H2O
Now the equation is balanced.
To find the coefficient of water, you can count the number of water molecules on the balanced equation. In this case, there are 4 H2O molecules present, so the coefficient of water is 4.