Chapter 19.1, Problem 1PPB

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

The given equation is to be balanced in the acidic medium by the half-reaction method.

Concept introduction:

In the half-reaction method of balancingachemical reaction, the redox reaction is written in two halves. One is the oxidation half-reaction and the other is the reduction half-reaction. Then, each of these half-reactions arebalanced separately, and then combined to give the balanced redox equation.

The following are the steps to balance the chemical equation in the acidic medium:

Step 1: Write the skeleton equation in ionic form.

Step 2: Separate the unbalanced reaction into half reactions.

Step 3. Balance all the elements except oxygen and hydrogen.

Step 4: Balance the oxygen atoms in the half-reactions by adding water molecules to the deficient side.

Step 5: After balancing the oxygen atoms, balance the hydrogen atoms by adding protons (${\text{H}}^{\text{+}}$) to the deficient side.

Step 6: Balance the charge so that both the sides have the same total charge by adding electrons to the more positive side to make it equal to the less positive side of the half-reaction.

Step 7: Make the electron gain equivalent to the electron loss in the oxidation half reactions and the reduction half reactions.

Step 8: Combine the two half reactions together.

Step 9: Remove chemical species of asimilar kind, if any, and write the simplified chemical equation.