BalancingUsingtheIonelectronMethod

I.

Basics:
A. Definitions:
1. Ionelectronmethodaprocessforbalancingredoxreactionsbyusinghalf
reactionsthatarebalancedseparately.Thenafterbalancingthechargesand
elements,thehalfreactionsarecombinedtoyieldafullybalancedequation.
2. SkeletonEquationanequationwhichshowsonlytheions,sometimesthe
molecules,involvedinthereaction.

B. RulesforIonelectronMethodinAcidicSolution:
1. Divideinto2halfreactions,
2. BalanceatomsbesidesHandO,
3. BalanceObyaddingwater,
4. BalancehydrogenbyaddingH+,
5. Balancethenetchargebyaddingelectronsoneachhalfreaction,
6. Balancetheelectronsamongthehalfreactions
7. Addthehalfreactions(alltheelectronsshouldcancelout)
8. Cancelanythingthatisthesameonbothsides.

C. Examples:
1. Balancethefollowingequationforareactionthatoccursinacidicsolution:
MnO4+H2SO3SO42+Mn2+
a. comeupwiththe2halfreactions:
1. MnO4Mn2+
2. H2SO4SO42
b. thenextstepistobalancetheatomsthatarenotHorO;theyarealready
balanced.
c. AddH2Otobalancetheoxygens:
1. MnO4Mn2++4H2O
2. H2O+H2SO3SO42
d. AddH+tobalancethehydrogens:
1. 8H++MnO4Mn2++4H2O
2. H2O+H2SO3SO42+4H+
e. balancethechargeofeachhalfreactionbyaddingelectronstothemore
positiveside:
1.
5e+MnO4+8H+Mn2++4H2O
2.
H2O+H2SO3SO42+4H++2e

f.

Maketheelectronsoneachhalfreactionequalbyfindingtheleastcommon
multiplebetweentheelectronsandthenmultiplybothequationsbyanumber
togiveyoutheleastcommonmultiple:Inthisproblem,thenumberof
electronsinonehalfreactionis2and5intheother,sotheirleastcommon
multipleshallbe10,somultiplythefirstequationby2andthesecondequation
by5toget10electronsineachhalfreaction.

1. 2(5e+MnO4+8H+Mn2++4H2O)toyield
10e+2MnO4+16H+2Mn2++8H2O.
2. 5(H2O+H2SO3SO42+4H++2e)toyield
5H2O+5H2SO35SO42+20H++10e.

g. Addtheresultingequations:
10e+2MnO4+16H+2Mn2++8H2O
+5H2O+5H2SO35SO42+20H++10e
10e+2MnO4+5H2O+5H2SO3+16H+2Mn2++8H2O+5SO42+20H++10e

h. Cancelanythingthesameoneithersideofthearrowtoyieldfinalbalanced
equation:

10e+2MnO4+5H2O+5H2SO3+16H+2Mn2++8H2O+5SO42+20H++10e

*Notethattherearentthesamenumberofwatermoleculesorhydrogenson
eachside,sosomeshallbeleftover.Sotheresultingbalancedequationis:
2MnO4+5H2SO32Mn2++3H2O+5SO42+4H+

D. Additionalstepsforabasicsolution:
1. Dothestepsahabove,then,
2. AddthesamenumberofOHsasthereareHstobothsidesoftheequation,
3. CombinetheOHswiththeHstoformH2O,
4. Cancelanywatersthatcanbecanceled.

E. Continuingtheexamplefromabove,convertingitintoabasicsolution:
1. Balancethefollowingequationforabasicsolution:
MnO4+H2SO3SO42+Mn2+
a. stepsahaboveyieldthefollowingbalancedequationforanacidicsolution:
2MnO4+5H2SO32Mn2++3H2O+5SO42+4H+
b. addtobothsidesthesamenumberofOHsasthereareHs,inthiscase,4H+
sotherefore,4OHaddedtobothsides:
4OH+2MnO4+5H2SO32Mn2++3H2O+5SO42+4H++4OH
c. CombineH+withanyOHstoyieldH2O:
4OH+2MnO4+5H2SO32Mn2++3H2O+5SO42+4H2O
4OH+2MnO4+5H2SO32Mn2++7H2O+5SO42
d. Cancelanywatersthatcancancel:
Nowaterstocancel,theyareonthesameside!
Therefore,thefinalbalancedbasicequationis:
4OH+2MnO4+5H2SO32Mn2++7H2O+5SO42