what is the balanced equation: aluminum reacts with iron(III) oxide to produce aluminum oxide and iron

Question

unklerhaukus · Answer

do you know the formula of iron(III) oxide?

anonymous · Answer

no i need help balancing the whole equation

unklerhaukus · Answer

do you know the valence of oxygen in bonding?

anonymous · Answer

no

anonymous · Answer

do you think you could balance it for me? i need it to solve a question

unklerhaukus · Answer

can you tell me the valence of the Iron?

anonymous · Answer

what do you mean?

unklerhaukus · Answer

Oxygen usually has a valence of 2-
and in this case the valence of the iron is 3+

unklerhaukus · Answer

so this makes iron oxide   $\text{Fe}_2\text{O}_3$ .

  make sense?

anonymous · Answer

yes

unklerhaukus · Answer

can you tell me the valence of the aluminum  in aluminium oxide?

anonymous · Answer

3+

unklerhaukus · Answer

good, so what is the formula for aluminium oxide?

anonymous · Answer

Al2O3  ?

unklerhaukus · Answer

thats right,

unklerhaukus · Answer

so the unbalanced reaction would be 

$$\text{Al}_{(s)}+{\text{Fe}_2\text O_3}_{(ag)}\quad\to\quad{\text {Al}_2\text O_3}_{(aq)}+\text{Fe}_{(s)}$$

right?

unklerhaukus · Answer

what do you need to do to balance the reaction?

anonymous · Answer

2Al & 2Fe ?

unklerhaukus · Answer

So, the balanced reaction is 
$$2\text{Al}_{(s)}+{\text{Fe}_2\text O_3}_{(ag)}\quad\to\quad{\text {Al}_2\text O_3}_{(aq)}+2\text{Fe}_{(s)}$$

$$\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\quad\qquad\qquad\color{red}\checkmark$$

anonymous · Answer

okay thank you so much!