Question

Write the balanced chemical equation for the following:

Dilute nitric acid is added to copper.

Answer 1

Whenever dilute nitric acid$\mathbf{\left(}{\mathbf{HNO}}_{\mathbf{3}}\mathbf{\right)}$ is added to copper metal$\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{Cu}\mathbf{\right)}$ it produces copper nitrate$\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{Cu}{\mathbf{\left(}{\mathbf{NO}}_{\mathbf{3}}\mathbf{\right)}}_{\mathbf{2}}\mathbf{\right)}$, water$\mathbf{\left(}{\mathbf{H}}_{\mathbf{2}}\mathbf{O}\mathbf{\right)}$ and nitric oxide$\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{NO}\mathbf{\right)}$ as the product.

Balanced chemical equation:

$$\begin{gathered} \underset{\left(\mathrm{Copper}\right)}{\underbrace{3\mathrm{Cu}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)}}+\underset{(\mathrm{Nitric}\mathrm{acid})}{\underbrace{8{\mathrm{HNO}}_3\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)}}\to \underset{ \\ (\mathrm{Copper}\mathrm{nitrate})}{{\underbrace{3\mathrm{Cu}\left({\mathrm{NO}}_3\right)}}_2\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)}+\underset{\left(\mathrm{Water}\right)}{\underbrace{4{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}}\left(\mathrm{l}\right)}+\underset{(\mathrm{Nitric}\mathrm{oxide})}{\underbrace{2\mathrm{NO}\left(\mathrm{g}\right)}} \end{gathered}$$