Textbook J.7 [ENDORSED]

[Karen Harrison 1L]

Hello!
Select an acid and a base for a neutralization reaction that results in the formation of (a) potassium bromide KBr; (b) zinc nitrite Zn(NO3)2; (c) calcium cyanide Ca(CN)2 (d) potassium phosphate K3PO4. Write the balanced equation for each reaction.
I understand how to write a neutralization reaction for KBr, which would be HBr + KOH- --> H2O + KBr. However, I get confused on how to balance both sides of the reaction, such as in parts b through d. Can someone help me with this?

[Alex Yeghikian 1C]

Here, the number of anions would be the stoichiometric number of the acid in the balanced equation, and the number of cations would be the stoichiometric amount of the base in the balanced equation. Consider the charges of each anion and cation for balancing.

As an example, for (c) the product is calcium cyanide Ca(CN)₂. There are two cyanide anions (each 1- charge) and one calcium cation (2+ charge). Thus, the balanced equations would be Ca(OH)₂ + 2 HCN --> Ca(CN)₂ + 2 H₂O.

Hope this helps!