Tin and Chlorine synthesize Stannous Chloride according to a two step mechanism:
Sn (s) + Cl2 (g) ⇌ SnCl2 (s) + 83.6 kcal
SnCl2 (s) + Cl2 (g) ⇌ SnCl4 (l) + 46.7 kcal
Determine the overall heat of reaction and write the final equation for the reaction.
Show work, please.
Did you make a typo? SnCl4 is stannic chloride.
Sn (s) + Cl2 (g) ⇌ SnCl2 (s) + 83.6 kcal
SnCl2 (s) + Cl2 (g) ⇌ SnCl4 (l) + 46.7 kcal
Add equation 1 to equation 2 and add the heat of formation from each step.
To determine the overall heat of reaction and write the final equation, we need to first calculate the enthalpy change for each step of the reaction and then combine them.
Step 1: Sn (s) + Cl2 (g) ⇌ SnCl2 (s) + 83.6 kcal
The enthalpy change for this step is +83.6 kcal.
Step 2: SnCl2 (s) + Cl2 (g) ⇌ SnCl4 (l) + 46.7 kcal
The enthalpy change for this step is +46.7 kcal.
Now, to determine the overall heat of reaction, we need to consider the direction of the reaction. Since the first step is exothermic (+83.6 kcal) and the second step is endothermic (+46.7 kcal), we can write the overall reaction as:
Sn (s) + 2Cl2 (g) ⇌ SnCl4 (l) + 130.3 kcal
In this final reaction equation, we multiply the second reaction by 2 to ensure that the number of chlorine atoms on both sides of the reaction is balanced.
Therefore, the overall heat of reaction is 130.3 kcal, and the final equation is Sn (s) + 2Cl2 (g) ⇌ SnCl4 (l) + 130.3 kcal.