Question

What is the chemical equation for magnesium chloride + oxygen $\to$ magnesium chlorate?

Answer 1

Hint : In order to answer this question, you must know what a chemical equation means. A chemical equation is the symbolic representation of a chemical reaction. The reactants are written on the left, and the products are written on the right. The coefficients next to the symbols of entities indicate the number of moles of a substance produced or used in the chemical reaction.

Complete Step By Step Answer:
Given: Magnesium chloride + Oxygen produces magnesium chlorate.
Magnesium Chloride is a salt that is ionic in nature. The charge on Magnesium ions is +2, and hence forming $M{g^{2 + }}$ ions, whereas the charge on chloride ions is -1 and hence forming $C{l^ - }$ ions. To balance one magnesium ion, we need two chloride ions, resulting in the formula $MgC{l_2}$ .
Oxygen is a diatomic molecule and hence is present in the environment as ${O_2}$ , which is the oxygen gas.
Magnesium chlorate is an ionic compound which contains magnesium as $M{g^{2 + }}$ ions and chlorate has a charge of $ClO_3^{ - 1}$ . To balance one magnesium ion, we need two chlorate ions making the formula $Mg{(Cl{O_3})_2}$ .
$MgC{l_2} + {O_2} \to Mg{(Cl{O_3})_2}$
Atoms can neither be created nor be destroyed in a chemical reaction. Therefore, we need to balance a chemical equation.
The number of atoms of magnesium and chlorine are equal on both the sides of a chemical equation.
To balance the oxygen atoms, we place a coefficient of 3 in front of oxygen.
Therefore, the final chemical equation is:
$MgC{l_2} + 3{O_2} \to Mg{(Cl{O_3})_2}$ .

Note :
Magnesium chloride is a naturally occurring mineral and is used to treat or prevent magnesium deficiency (lack of natural magnesium in the body). Magnesium is most commonly used for constipation, as an antacid for heartburn.