copper and nitric acidthe products include nitrogen dioxide and Cu++ when you balance the equation what is the

Question

What is the coefficient for NO2

Answer 1

Cu + 2HNO3 ===> Cu(NO3)2 + 2NO2 + 2H2O

One of the ways to do this without balancing the equation is to consider that Cu loses 2 electrons going to Cu++. N in HNO3 gains only 1 electron in going from +5 to +4. Electrons lost must equal electrons gained, so 2NO2.