Question

What is a balanced equation for the following reaction: Silver + chloride $\to$ Silver chloride?

Answer 1

While writing the equation, the formula of the silver will be Ag, the formula of chlorine will be $C{{l}_{2}}$ and the formula of silver chloride will be AgCl. As silver and chlorine are the reactants while silver chloride is the product.

Complete answer:
To balance the equation means to make the number of atoms on the reactant and product side the same. First, we have to write the equation or reaction given in the question. As the reaction given in the question is:
Silver + chloride $\to$ Silver chloride
The formula of the silver will be Ag, the formula of chlorine will be $C{{l}_{2}}$ because the chlorine is never found as chlorine is a very electronegative atom so, it is found in the molecular form and the formula of silver chloride will be AgCl.
The reaction will be:
$Ag+C{{l}_{2}}\to AgCl$
There is 1 silver atom on the reactant side and 1 silver atom is present on the product side. So, we don’t have to change anything.
Now, the numbers of chlorine atoms on the reactant side are 2 but the number of chlorine atoms on the product side is 1, so we have to multiply silver chloride by 2. The reaction is given below:
$Ag+C{{l}_{2}}\to 2AgCl$
As we can see that the number of silver atoms on the product side has increased to 2, so we can multiply the silver atom by 2. The reaction will be:
$2Ag+C{{l}_{2}}\to 2AgCl$
This is the balanced reaction.

Note:
Since this equation does not have any atoms of hydrogen and oxygen, we have to only balance silver and chlorine atoms, but if the reaction has oxygen and hydrogen atoms, then we have to balance all the atoms and in the last oxygen and hydrogen are balanced.