Need Help Balancing Chemical Equations?

Question

I get confused when the there is a subscript...example:

Cu + AgNO3 = Cu(NO3)2 + Ag

how in the world do you solve this to balance it? (note: the 3's and the 2 are subscripts)

My question is, can you split up the elements in the equation..to balance it?

Cu + AgNO3 = Cu(NO3)2 + Ag

Thanks for all your answers it is helping tremendously... Maybe I didn't clarify...but as in the first part......AgNO3....can I split this up and add coefficients to each element when balancing the equation? I know it won't work for this particular equation...but just in general. Or do I have to add the Coefficient to the whole compound? If I needed only 1Ag and 2N to balance the equation could I write it like this: Cu+Ag2NO3? Or does the coefficent have to be in front of the whole compound? I'm not sure how to express what I mean. Hope someone can understand what I am meaning to say! Thanks

Answer 1

Yes, you can split up the elements. If you have a subscript like AgNO3, then that means you have 1 Ag, 1 N, and 3 O. If the subscript is outside of a set of parentheses, then multiply everything inside of them by the subscript. For example, Cu(NO3)2 means you have 1 Cu, 2 N, and 6 O.

To balance the equation, you need to add coefficients to each side until you have the same number of each type of atom on both sides. Coefficients multiply everything they are in front of, so if you wrote 2AgNO3, you would have 2 Ag, 2 N, and 6 O.

Hint: you will need two 2's to balance this equation.....

Good Luck!

Answer 2

yes, u can split the elements and balance.

ie, u take Cu, its balanced on both sides (one each0

take NO3, there is two on right and only one on left. so just put 2 before AgNO3 (u can also split O and N )

now Ag, there is 2 Ag on left and only 1 on right, so put 2 bfor Ag.

thus u hav balanced the eqn as : Cu + 2 AgNO3 = Cu(NO3)2 + 2 Ag

Answer 3

Cu+2, Ag+1 , NO3 -2

Answer 4

set up a column of the elements down the middle of the reaction arrow. On the left side list the elements that are found in the reactants. On the right side list the elements that are on the product side of the reaction.

In this case it will be easier to keep the nitrate group together as a unit since it is found on both sides of the reaction in that way (as a nitrite group NO3-1 charge) > if you list it that way you can readily see that you need to have two nitrate groups on the reactant side to balance the two nitrate groups on the product side. The only substance that has nitrate groups on the reactant side is the silver nitrate compound, that means that you will need two moles of silver nitrate on the reactant side. So the coefficient for AgNO3 will be two. Now that gives you two silver ions on the reactant side, so you will need two silver ions on the product side, The only place you get Ag on the product side is from the silver , so the coefficient for silver must be two. Cu is balanced and if you recount on each side each elements totals will be the same on each side of the equation.

so the balanced equation will read One mole of copper reacts with two moles of silver nitrate to produce one mole of copper nitrate and 2 moles of silver.

Answer 5

a simple Redox equation... this one is actually easy if you give yourself some time you don't even have to do it in 1/2 reactions
Trial and error will do... if that fails... well use the "standard method" by half reactions to balance Redox

If I'm doing this:
I immediately see Cu + Ag+ becomes Cu2+ + Ag
balancing it is simpler now
Cu + 2Ag+ becomes Cu2+ + 2Ag

thus put a two before silvernitrate and elemental silver

AND it's balanced! Voila!

Techinically you CAN split the elements up altho in this case the nitrate ion stays a nitrate ion throughout... there is simply no need in this one... nitrate ions move as one unit

Answer 6

Cu + 2AgNO[3] = CuN[2]O[6] + 2Ag