Question

copper and oxygen make copper (III) oxide. write the chemical equation, balance and classify.

Answer 1

The elemental symbols (what they are abbreviated as on the periodic table) are used in the chemical equation. The things reacting go on the left side, so copper and oxygen, and the product goes on the right. Copper (III) oxide. Because oxygen is a diatomic element, when it is written by itself (not in a compound with another element) it will have a subscript 2.

Answer 2

\[Cu+O_2\rightarrow Cu_2O_3\]

Answer 3

Because it is copper III that is copper's charge. When you write the compound you cross the charges to the other element in the compound and it becomes their subscript.

Answer 4

Now to balance it. Balancing the equation tells us that the matter doesn't just disappear,following the rule that matter is neither created nor destroyed. So before the reaction took place there is a certain amount of atoms, and after there has to be the same amount.

Answer 5

Subscripts tell us how many atoms there are, also coefficients/numbers in front of elements or compounds also tells us how many atoms there are for the entire compound. When we balance the equation we can only change the coefficients in front of the elements, not the subscripts. So there is 2 oxygen's on the left, but 3 on the right. We need them to be equal, so if we multiplied the 2 by 3 we would get 6. On the right, we would multiply the 3 by 2 and we would get 6 also.

Answer 6

\[Cu+3O_2\rightarrow 2Cu_2O_3\]

Answer 7

Now on the left side there's only 1 copper, and on the right there are 4 (multiply the coefficient by the subscript-if there is a subscript). So we can just add a 4 in front of the first copper. Your final equation is:\[4Cu+3O_2\rightarrow 2Cu_2O_3\]