Borek said:It can't be balanced as entered, as there is no hydrogen on the right, you need to add water to products.
There is no need for AgNO3 on the RHS.
Have you recognized what is being oxidized and what is being reduced?
Chemically it doesn't make sense to me - sulfide is a reducing agent, nitric acid is an oxidizing agent, I don't see why they are just spectators.
Gorby said:8 H+ + CrO42- + 3 Ag ---> 3 Ag+ + Cr3+ + 4 H2O
I was told that I had to double the above, for the original equation to balance. I do not know why, and I am not sure how to do it either.
Borek said:Thats OK.
You need an even number of Ag+ for Ag2S.
Simply multiply all coefficients by 2, add on the left enough S2- to convert all Ag+ on RHS to Ag2S, see how many Na+ you are missing and so on. One thing you can't do - you can't modify coefficients of the above redox equation separately, if you need to modify them, you have to modify all at the same time (this way redox skeleton stays always balanced).
A redox reaction is a chemical reaction in which there is a transfer of electrons between two species. One species loses electrons (oxidation) while the other gains electrons (reduction).
Balancing a redox reaction is important because it ensures that the number of electrons lost in the oxidation process is equal to the number of electrons gained in the reduction process. This maintains the overall charge balance in the reaction and allows for accurate predictions of the reactants and products.
To balance a redox reaction, you need to first identify the species being oxidized and reduced. Then, balance the elements other than oxygen and hydrogen. Next, balance the oxygen atoms by adding water molecules. Finally, balance the hydrogen atoms by adding hydrogen ions. Remember to check the overall charge and make any adjustments if necessary.
The half-reaction method is a technique used to balance redox reactions by breaking the reaction into two half-reactions: the oxidation half-reaction and the reduction half-reaction. The half-reactions are balanced separately and then combined to give the balanced overall reaction.
There are a few tricks that can make balancing redox reactions easier. These include using the oxidation numbers method, using the half-reaction method, and breaking the reaction into smaller steps. It is also helpful to practice and familiarize yourself with common redox reactions and their balanced equations.