can someone please help me balance this equation?:
potassium permanganate reacts with iron(II)sulfate and sulfuric acid to produce iron(II)sulfate and manganese(II)sulfate and potassium sulfate and water
Of course! I can help you balance this chemical equation. The balanced equation for the reaction between potassium permanganate (KMnO4), iron(II) sulfate (FeSO4), and sulfuric acid (H2SO4) is as follows:
2 KMnO4 + 10 FeSO4 + 8 H2SO4 → 5 Fe2(SO4)3 + 2 MnSO4 + K2SO4 + 8 H2O
Now, let me explain step-by-step how to balance this equation:
1. Start by counting the number of atoms for each element on both sides of the equation.
On the left side:
- There are 2 potassium (K) atoms, 2 manganese (Mn) atoms, 4 oxygen (O) atoms, and 16 hydrogen (H) atoms.
On the right side:
- There are 2 iron (Fe) atoms, 3 sulfur (S) atoms, 12 oxygen (O) atoms, 2 manganese (Mn) atoms, 2 potassium (K) atoms, 2 sulfur (S) atoms, and 16 hydrogen (H) atoms.
2. Balance the elements that occur in complex compounds first. In this case, there are two complex compounds: potassium permanganate (KMnO4) and iron(II) sulfate (FeSO4).
a. Start with potassium permanganate:
- There are 2 K atoms on the right side, so we need 2 K atoms on the left side.
- The equation now becomes: 2 KMnO4 + ___ + ___ → ___ + ___ + ___ + ___
b. Next, balance iron(II) sulfate:
- There are 10 Fe atoms on the left side, so we need 10 Fe atoms on the right side.
- The equation now becomes: 2 KMnO4 + 10 FeSO4 + ___ → ___ + ___ + ___ + ___
3. Balance the remaining elements one at a time, starting with manganese (Mn):
- There are 2 Mn atoms on the right side, so we need 2 Mn atoms on the left side.
- The equation now becomes: 2 KMnO4 + 10 FeSO4 + ___ → 2 MnSO4 + ___ + ___ + ___
4. Next, balance sulfur (S):
- There are 8 S atoms on the left side, so we need 8 S atoms on the right side.
- The equation now becomes: 2 KMnO4 + 10 FeSO4 + ___ → 2 MnSO4 + ___ + K2SO4 + ___
5. Finally, balance oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H):
- There are 16 O atoms and 16 H atoms on both sides of the equation.
The final balanced equation is: 2 KMnO4 + 10 FeSO4 + 8 H2SO4 → 5 Fe2(SO4)3 + 2 MnSO4 + K2SO4 + 8 H2O
I hope this explanation helps you understand the process of balancing chemical equations!