Question

write a balanced chemical equation based on the following description: solid lead(iv) chlorite decomposes to produce solid lead(iv) chloride and oxygen gas. pb(clo₂)₄(s)→

Explanation:

Step1: Write the unbalanced equation

The unbalanced chemical equation is \( \text{Pb(ClO}_2\text{)}_4(s)
ightarrow \text{PbCl}_4(s)+\text{O}_2(g) \)

Step2: Balance the oxygen atoms

On the left - hand side, the number of oxygen atoms in \( \text{Pb(ClO}_2\text{)}_4 \) is \(4\times2 = 8\). On the right - hand side, in \( \text{O}_2 \), let the coefficient of \( \text{O}_2 \) be \(x\). So, \(2x=8\), \(x = 4\)

The balanced chemical equation is \( \text{Pb(ClO}_2\text{)}_4(s)
ightarrow \text{PbCl}_4(s)+4\text{O}_2(g) \)

Answer:

\( \text{Pb(ClO}_2\text{)}_4(s)
ightarrow \text{PbCl}_4(s)+4\text{O}_2(g) \)