Question

Translate the following statement into a chemical equation and then balance it:

Sodium chloride reacts with silver nitrate to form silver chloride and sodium nitrate.

Answer 1

The given statement can be translated into a chemical equation as follows:

Unbalanced equation:

\[\ce{NaCl + AgNO3 -> AgCl + NaNO3}\]

• Sodium (Na) appears once on both sides.
• Chlorine (Cl) appears once on both sides.
• Silver (Ag) appears once on both sides.
• Nitrate (NO₃) appears once on both sides.

Balanced equation:

\[\ce{NaCl + AgNO3 -> AgCl + NaNO3}\]

This is a double displacement reaction, where silver chloride (AgCl) precipitates as an insoluble solid.