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ChemTeam:Worksheet:Balancingredoxequationsbysight

Reductionoxidation(redox)equationsareverydifficulttobalancebysight.However,sometimesyouwill
seearedoxequationincludedina"balancebysight"assignment.Below,youwillfindmyeffortstoexplain
howsomeofthecommonlyaskedequationscouldbebalancedbysight.
Problem#1:Cu+HNO3>Cu(NO3)2+NO2+H2O
Solution:
1)ThekeyistoseethattheHNO3coefficientmustbetwicethevalueoftheH2Ocoefficient.Thisis
becauseHonlyappearsontheleftintheHNO3andappearsintherightonlyintheH2O.Likethis:
Cu+2HNO3>Cu(NO3)2+NO2+H2O
2)Theabovewillnotwork(eventhoughtheHisnowbalanced).ThereisnownowaytobalancetheNor
theO,sincethereisalreadya2infrontofthenitricacid,sodothis:
Cu+4HNO3>Cu(NO3)2+NO2+2H2O
Whathappenedhereisthatthe2HNO3&H2Ocombinationwillnotwork,soIwenttoa
combinationof4HNO3&2H2O.Letuscontinuebalancing,hopingthethe4&2coefficients
willwork.
3)Now,balancetheN:
Cu+4HNO3>Cu(NO3)2+2NO2+2H2O
4)Checktheoxygen:
twelveoneachside.It'sbalanced.
Comment:IsawthisequationonYahooAnswerspresentedthisway:
H+ (aq)+Cu(s)+NO3(aq)>H2O()+NO2(g)+Cu2+ (aq)+NO3(aq)
andthequestionaskedtobalancethenetionicequation.Irecommendedthatitbebalancedasamolecular
equationandthenconvertedtothenetionic.Thefinalansweristhis:
4H+ (aq)+Cu(s)+2NO3(aq)>2H2O()+2NO2(g)+Cu2+ (aq)
Problem#2:Cu+HNO3>Cu(NO3)2+NO+H2O
Solution:
1)Countuptheoxygensontherightoftheunbalancedtoget8.Thatsuggeststhiscoefficient:
Cu+8HNO3>Cu(NO3)2+NO+H2O
Sincetheoxygensontheleftonlycomeinthrees,24istheleastcommonmultipleof3and8.Also,weknow
thatweneedanevencoefficientinfrontofthenitricacidbecausethehydrogenontherightonlycomesin
twos.
Whatwenowdoiscontinuebalancing,aimingtoget24oxygensontherighthandside.
2)BalancetheH:
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Cu+8HNO3>Cu(NO3)2+NO+4H2O
3)Nowcomesaguess.Weneedanevennumberofoxygensontheright(24ontheleft,so24neededonthe
right)andwecan'tdothatwithanoddcoefficientinfrontoftheNO,sotheguessistoputa2infrontofthe
NOandseewhathappens:
Cu+8HNO3>Cu(NO3)2+2NO+4H2O
4)BalancetheN:
Cu+8HNO3>3Cu(NO3)2+2NO+4H2O
5)Checktheoxygensandtheyarenowbalanced,sofinishoffwiththecopper:
3Cu+8HNO3>3Cu(NO3)2+2NO+4H2O
Problem#3:Cu+HNO3>CuNO3+NO2+H2O
Solution:
1)Balancethehydrogen:
Cu+2HNO3>CuNO3+NO2+H2O
Andit'sbalanced.Well,thatwaseasy!
Problem#4:Cu+HNO3>CuNO3+NO+H2O
Solution:
1)Balancethehydrogen:
Cu+2HNO3>CuNO3+NO+H2O
TheoxygencannotbebalancedbecausechangingtheNOortheH2Ocoefficientwill
immediatelycausetheNortheHtobeoutofbalance.
2)Try4and2ascoefficientstobalancethehydrogen:
Cu+4HNO3>CuNO3+NO+2H2ONow,weneedtoseeifwecanbalancethenitrogen
next,keepinginmindthatwewanttogetto12oxygensontheright.
3)BalancetheN:
Cu+4HNO3>3CuNO3+NO+2H2O
ThereasonIpickeda3wasthatwasthefastestwaytogetmenearto12oxygens.Icouldhave
putthe3ontheNO,butthatleavesmewellshortof12oxygens.Ialsocouldhavetried
coefficientsof2infronoftheCuNO3andtheNO.Youmaytryitouttoseeifusing2and2
works.
4)SincetheOisnowbalanced,finishwiththecopper:
3Cu+4HNO3>3CuNO3+NO+2H2O

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Problem#5:Cu+HNO3>NH4NO3+Cu(NO3)2+H2O
Solution:
1)Counttheoxygensontherighthandsidetoget10.However,theoxygensonthelefthandsideonlycome
inthrees,sodothis:
Cu+10HNO3>NH4NO3+Cu(NO3)2+H2O
2)Now,aneducatedguess.Weneedtoget10nitrogensandlet'sguessthattherestofthem(notethatthere
arealreadytwonitrogensintheNH4NO3)canbebalancedbytheCu(NO3)2:
4Cu+10HNO3>NH4NO3+4Cu(NO3)2+H2O
3)Now,weneedtoplaywiththehydrogenandseewhathappenstotheoxygenalso.Thereare4hydrogen
intheNH4NO3,sowetrythis:
4Cu+10HNO3>NH4NO3+4Cu(NO3)2+3H2O
Andit'sdone.
Problem#6:Ag+HNO3>NO+AgNO3+H2O
Solution:
Comment:thekeytobalancingthisequationbysightistoworkwiththehydrogens.Thereasonforthat?
Hydrogenisinonlyoneplaceontheleftandonlyoneplaceontheright.
1)Firstattempt:
Ag+2HNO3>NO+AgNO3+H2O
Thisfailsbecause,whilethenitrogenandsilverarebalanced,theoxygenisnot.Anyattemptto
fixtheoxygenimbalancewillaffectthenitrogen,silverorhydrogenbalance.Tryingtofixthat
wouldthenthrowtheoxygenoutofbalance,ifyoueverdidbalancetheoxygen.
2)Secondattempt:
Ag+4HNO3>NO+AgNO3+2H2O
OK,sofar.Thenextstepistobalancethenitrogens,buthow?DoIusecoefficientsof3and1
ontherighthandside?Or2and2?Theonlywayistrialanderror.(Also,notethattherearetwo
possible3and1possibilities.)
3)Let'stry2and2:
Ag+4HNO3>2NO+2AgNO3+2H2O
Dotheoxygensbalance?No,wehavehave12ontheleft,butonly10ontheright.Thereisno
waytofixtheoxygenwithoutimpactingatleastoneoftheotherelements,allofwhichare
balanced(includingthesilver,whichwouldbeatrivialthingtobalancewith2Agontheleft).
4)Let'stry3and1:
Ag+4HNO3>NO+3AgNO3+2H2O
Nowtheoxygensbalance.
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5)Continuetothefinalanswerbybalancingthesilver:
3Ag+4HNO3>NO+3AgNO3+2H2O
Comment:this3and1istheotherpossiblearrangement:
Ag+4HNO3>3NO+AgNO3+2H2O
Thisonefailsbecauseoftheoxygenimbalance(12ontheleftand8ontheright).Ideliberatelypickedthe
correct3and1distribution(outofthetwopossible)tousefirst.
Problem#7:H3AsO3(aq)+I3(aq)>I(aq)+H3AsO4(aq)
Comment:onthisoneIusetheusualredoxpracticeofusingwaterandhydrogenion,eventhoughtheyare
notwrittenintheequation.Thisisbecause,eventhoughtheyarenotwritten,weknowbycontextthatthey
arepresent.
Thiscanbeconfusingifyouarelookingattheseequationina"balanceequationsbysight"unit.Youmight
thinkIamaddingthingswhenIshouldnot.Pleasetrustmethat,inthiscase,Iamnot.Thewaterandthe
hydrogenionarealreadypresent,justnotwrittenintotheequationyouaregiven.
Solution:
1)BalancetheI:
H3AsO3(aq)+I3(aq)>3I(aq)+H3AsO4(aq)
2)BalancetheO
H2O+H3AsO3(aq)+I3(aq)>3I(aq)+H3AsO4(aq)
3)BalancetheH
H2O+H3AsO3(aq)+I3(aq)>3I(aq)+H3AsO4(aq)+2H+
Thefinalanswerisbalancedforatomsandcharge,arequirementintheredoxworld.
Problem#8:NH4NO3>N2+O2+H2O
Solution:
1)Nitrogenalreadybalanced.Balancehydrogen:
NH4NO3>N2+O2+2H2O
Ipickedhydrogenbecauseitisinoneplaceoneachside,whereastheoxygenisinoneplaceon
thereactantside,buttwoplacesontheproductside.
2)Balanceoxygen:
NH4NO3>N2+(1/2)O2+2H2O
3)Clearthefraction:
2NH4NO3>2N2+O2+4H2O
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Problem#9:FeS2+O2+H2O>Fe(OH)3+SO42+H+
Solution:
1)BalancetheS
FeS2+O2+H2O>Fe(OH)3+2SO42+H+
2)BalancetheH:
FeS2+O2+2H2O>Fe(OH)3+2SO42+H+
3)BalancetheO:
FeS2+(9/2)O2+2H2O>Fe(OH)3+2SO42+H+
4)Clearthefraction:
2FeS2+9O2+4H2O>2Fe(OH)3+4SO42+2H+
Problem#10:NO2+H2O>NO+HNO3
Solution:
1)BalancetheHfirstsinceitisinonlyoneplaceoneachsideofthearrow:
NO2+H2O>NO+2HNO3
2)BalancetheNsinceitislesscomplicatedthantryingtheO:
3NO2+H2O>NO+2HNO3
3)Checktheoxygentofind7oxygenatomsoneachside.It'sbalanced.
Problem#11:PbO2+HCl>H2O+PbCl2+Cl2
Solution:
1)TheOinPbO2andtheHinHClaregoingtogointotheH2O,soweneedtwoHforeveryoneO.Letus
balancetheOfirst:
PbO2+HCl>2H2O+PbCl2+Cl2
2)Nowweneed4Hontheleft:
PbO2+4HCl>2H2O+PbCl2+Cl2
Thisgivesus4Clonthelefthandsideandweseethatthereare4Clalreadypresentonthe
righthandside.SincethePbwasalreadybalanced,wearedone.It'sbalanced.
Problem#12:Fe+V2O3>Fe2O3+VO
Solution:
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1)BalancetheFe:
2Fe+V2O3>Fe2O3+VO
2)BalancetheV:
2Fe+V2O3>Fe2O3+2VO
3)Balancetheoxygen:
ItseemsclearthewemusttrytobalancetheoxygenusingtheV2O3/VOpair.Fromtheequation
insteptwo,wetrythis:
2Fe+2V2O3>Fe2O3+4VO
Weseethattheoxygensarestillnotbalanced,butthedifferencewasreduced.Insteptwo,there
are3Oontheleftand5Oontheright,foradifferenceoftwo.Intheattemptjustabove,there
are6Oontheleftand7Oontheright,foradifferenceofone.So,wetrythis:
2Fe+3V2O3>Fe2O3+6VO
Therearenow9Ooneachsideoftheequation.Theequationisbalanced.
Problem#13:(NH4)2Cr2O7>N2+H2O+Cr2O3
Solution:
nitrogen:alreadybalanced
chromium:alreadybalanced
Balancethehydrogennextbecauseit'sinoneplaceontheleftandoneplaceontheright:
(NH4)2Cr2O7>N2+4H2O+Cr2O3
Checktheoxygen:sevenontheleftfourplusthreeontherightforseven.Oxygenisbalanced.
We'redone!
Problem#14:N2H4+KBrO4>N2+KBr+H2O
Solution:
nitrogen:alreadybalanced
potassium:alreadybalanced
bromine:alreadybalanced
Thatmeansthatonlyhydrogenandoxygenneedtobebalanced.Iwillpicktheoxygentodo
first:
N2H4+KBrO4>N2+KBr+4H2O
Ipickedtheoxygenbecause,ifIpickedthehydrogen,Iwouldhaveputa2infrontofthewater,
butthenIwouldhavetochangeittoa4inordertobalancetheoxygen.Now,balancethe
hydrogen:
2N2H4+KBrO4>N2+KBr+4H2O
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Thatchangesthenitrogen,sobalanceit:
2N2H4+KBrO4>2N2+KBr+4H2O
Andwe'redone.
Problem#15:H2O+O2+As>HAsO2
Solution:
1)Pickthehydrogentobalanceratherthantheoxygen:
H2O+O2+As>2HAsO2
Thereasonforthisisbecause,ifIbalancedtheoxygenfirstandthenbalancedthehydrogen,I'd
havetogobackandrebalancetheoxygen.
2)Balancetheoxygen:
H2O+(3/2)O2+2As>2HAsO2
Ialsobalancedthearsenic.
3)Clearthefraction:
2H2O+3O2+4As>4HAsO2
andit'sdone.
BonusProblem:C6H6+H2O2>CO2+H2O
Solution:
1)Balancethecarbon:
C6H6+H2O2>6CO2+H2O
Oxygenonleft=2,oxygenonright=13difference=11
2)Tentativeattempttobalancethehydrogen:
C6H6+6H2O2>6CO2+9H2O
NoticethethecoefficientontheH2O2mustalwaysbe3lessthanthecoefficientontheH2O.
Oxygenonleft=12,oxygenonright=21difference=9
Comment:thisnextmoveisbasedonexperience.Noticethatthereisadecreasinggapintheamountof
oxygens.AsIcontinuetoincreasethecoefficientsfortheH2O2andtheH2O.Sincethegapisstilllarge,let
ustrythis....
3)DoublethecoefficientsfortheH2O2andtheH2O:
C6H6+12H2O2>6CO2+18H2O
Thisactuallythrowsthehydrogenoutofbalanceaswellasnotobeyingourneedtohavethe
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H2O2coefficientbethreelessthantheH2Ocoefficient.Theoxygensarestillnotbalanced,but
theamountofoxygenoneachsidehasbeenloweredfrom9to6.
4)Fixthecoefficienttoobeythe"threeless"rule:
C6H6+15H2O2>6CO2+18H2O
Thisbalancestheequation.
Noticethat,whentheoxygenwasoutofbalancebysix,thehydrogenwasalsooutofbalanceby
six.AddingthreemoreH2O2addedsixHaswellassixO.
Thatwasahardone!

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