Question

HNO3+S->H2SO4+NO.

You now have these half-reaction equations:
3e-+HNO3->NO
S->H2SO4+6e-
What is the next step?
1) Add the two half-reactions together?
2) Multiply each equation by a factor to give the same number of electrons in both?
3) Balance the atoms on each side?

Answer 1

Balancing electrons is the next step after writing half-reactions. This involves multiplying each half-reaction by an appropriate factor to equalize the number of electrons transferred, then adding them together.

Step-by-step explanation:

The next step after writing the half-reactions for the chemical equation is to balance the electrons. To do this, each half-reaction must be multiplied by a factor to ensure the same number of electrons are being transferred in both. Once the electrons are balanced, you can then add the two half-reactions together to obtain the balanced overall reaction.

For the given reaction, where nitric acid (HNO3) reacts with sulfur (S) to form sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and nitric oxide (NO), the oxidation half-reaction is missing, and the reduction half-reaction should be balanced for oxygen by adding water (H2O), then balanced for hydrogen by adding hydrogen ions (H+).