Question

State what would you observe when: Lead nitrate is heated.

Answer 1

Solution:

• When a salt, lead nitrate (Pb(NO₃)₂) is heated, it decomposes to produce solid lead oxide (PbO), gaseous nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and oxygen (O₂)
• The reaction is categorized as a decomposition reaction
• Balanced chemical equation for the reaction is:
• $2\mathrm{Pb}{\left({\mathrm{NO}}_3\right)}_2\left(\mathrm{s}\right)\stackrel{∆}{\to }2\mathrm{PbO}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)+4{\mathrm{NO}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)+{\mathrm{O}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)$

Observation: Lead oxide is a yellow solid and NO₂ is a reddish-brown gas. Hence, a yellow precipitate and reddish-brown vapors are observed.