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Balance the following equation:

Cu+HgNO3 = Cu(NO3)2+Hg
Select the coefficient that would go in front of HgNO3.

1 answer

To balance the chemical equation \( \text{Cu} + \text{HgNO}_3 \rightarrow \text{Cu(NO}_3)_2 + \text{Hg} \), we can follow these steps:

  1. List the number of atoms for each element on both sides of the equation:

    • Left side:
      • Cu: 1
      • Hg: 1
      • N: 1
      • O: 3
    • Right side:
      • Cu: 1
      • Hg: 1
      • N: 2 (from Cu(NO₃)₂)
      • O: 6 (from Cu(NO₃)₂)

  2. Start balancing the equation:

    • We have 2 nitrogen (N) atoms and 6 oxygen (O) atoms on the right side from \( \text{Cu(NO}_3)_2 \). This means we need to adjust the coefficient in front of \( \text{HgNO}_3 \) to supply the necessary 2 nitrogen atoms and 6 oxygen atoms.

  3. Set the coefficient in front of \( \text{HgNO}_3 \):

    • If we place a coefficient of 2 in front of \( \text{HgNO}_3 \), we will have:
      • 2 HgNO₃ provides 2 nitrogen and 6 oxygen.
    • The balanced equation will look like this: \[ \text{Cu} + 2\text{HgNO}_3 \rightarrow \text{Cu(NO}_3)_2 + 2\text{Hg} \]

  4. Re-count the atoms:

    • Now we have:
      • Left side:
        • Cu: 1
        • Hg: 2
        • N: 2
        • O: 6
      • Right side:
        • Cu: 1
        • Hg: 2
        • N: 2
        • O: 6

The equation is balanced. Therefore, the coefficient that should go in front of \( \text{HgNO}_3 \) is 2.