Can someone help me balance this equation
ZnCl2 + (NH4)2S ------- NH4Cl + ZnS
It looks easy enough. What do you have trouble with? It almost balances itself. Check my work to make sure it is balanced.
ZnCl2 + (NH4)2S ------- 2NH4Cl + ZnS
To balance the equation ZnCl2 + (NH4)2S → NH4Cl + ZnS, you need to ensure that the number of atoms on both sides of the equation is equal.
Let's start by counting the number of atoms for each element on both sides:
On the left side of the equation:
Zn: 1
Cl: 2
N: 2
H: 8
S: 1
On the right side of the equation:
N: 2
H: 4
Cl: 1
Zn: 1
S: 1
As you can see, some of the atoms are balanced, while others are not. We'll balance them one by one:
1. Start with zinc (Zn). There is one Zn atom on both sides, so it is already balanced.
2. Next, balance sulfur (S). On the left side, we have one S atom, but on the right side, we have two S atoms. To balance it, we need to put a coefficient of 2 in front of ZnS:
ZnCl2 + (NH4)2S → NH4Cl + 2ZnS
3. Now, balance nitrogen (N). On the left side, we have two N atoms, but on the right side, we have only one N atom. To balance it, we need to put a coefficient of 2 in front of NH4Cl:
ZnCl2 + (NH4)2S → 2NH4Cl + 2ZnS
4. Finally, balance hydrogen (H) and chlorine (Cl). On the left side, we have 8 H atoms and 2 Cl atoms, while on the right side, we have 8 H atoms and 2 Cl atoms as well. Thus, hydrogen and chlorine are already balanced.
The balanced equation is:
ZnCl2 + (NH4)2S → 2NH4Cl + 2ZnS
To balance the given equation:
ZnCl2 + (NH4)2S → NH4Cl + ZnS
Follow these steps:
Step 1: Count the number of atoms on each side of the equation.
Left side:
Zinc (Zn) atoms - 1
Chlorine (Cl) atoms - 2
Sulfur (S) atoms - 1
Hydrogen (H) atoms - 8
Nitrogen (N) atoms - 4
Right side:
Chlorine (Cl) atoms - 1
Sulfur (S) atoms - 1
Hydrogen (H) atoms - 4
Nitrogen (N) atoms - 4
Step 2: Start by balancing the elements that appear in the least number of compounds. In this case, it is sulfur (S).
To balance the sulfur atoms, place a coefficient of 1 in front of ZnS on the product side:
ZnCl2 + (NH4)2S → NH4Cl + 1ZnS
Now the sulfur is balanced.
Step 3: Move on to balance the nitrogen (N) atoms. Currently, there are 2(NH4) on the reactant side and 1(NH4) on the product side. To balance the nitrogen, place a coefficient of 2 in front of NH4Cl:
ZnCl2 + (NH4)2S → 2NH4Cl + 1ZnS
Now the nitrogen is balanced.
Step 4: Balance the hydrogen (H) atoms. There are currently 8 hydrogen atoms on the reactant side and 4 hydrogen atoms on the product side. To balance the hydrogen, place a coefficient of 4 in front of NH4Cl:
ZnCl2 + (NH4)2S → 2NH4Cl + 1ZnS
Now the hydrogen is balanced.
Step 5: Finally, balance the chlorine (Cl) atoms. There are currently 2 chlorine atoms on the reactant side and 1 chlorine atom on the product side. To balance the chlorine, place a coefficient of 2 in front of ZnCl2:
2ZnCl2 + (NH4)2S → 2NH4Cl + 1ZnS
Now all the elements are balanced in the equation.
The balanced equation is:
2ZnCl2 + (NH4)2S → 2NH4Cl + ZnS