Question

Balance the equation: Hydrogen sulphide gas burns in air to give water and sulphur dioxide.

Answer 1

Hint: The chemical compound hydrogen sulphide has the formula \[{H_2}S\]. It's a colourless chalcogen hydride gas that smells like rotting eggs. It's combustible, toxic, and corrosive.

The chemical compound sulphur dioxide, often known as sulphur dioxide, has the formula \[S{O_2}\]. It's a poisonous gas that gives off the odour of burned matches. It is created as a by-product of copper extraction and the combustion of sulfur-contaminated fossil fuels, and it is generated naturally by volcanic activity.

Complete answer:

The stoichiometric coefficients on the reactants and product sides must be balanced in a balancing chemical equation. Because the chemical equation follows the law of conservation of mass and momentum, this must be done.

Sulphur dioxide can be represented in terms of the equation as hydrogen sulphide gas burns in air to produce water.

\[{{\mathbf{H}}_{\mathbf{2}}}{\mathbf{S}}({\mathbf{g}})\; + \;{{\mathbf{O}}_{\mathbf{2}}}({\mathbf{g}}) \to {{\mathbf{H}}_{\mathbf{2}}}{\mathbf{O}}({\mathbf{l}})\; + \;{\mathbf{S}}{{\mathbf{O}}_{{\mathbf{2}}}}_({\mathbf{g}})\]

Step to balance chemical equation:

Step 1: Write  the unbalanced chemical equation.

Consider the following reaction. This is the reaction in which hydrogen sulphide gas burns in the presence of oxygen to produce water and sulphur dioxide.

\[{H_2}S{\text{ }} + {\text{ }}{0_2}\; \to {\text{ }}S{O_2}\; + {\text{ }}{H_2}O\]

Step 2: Write Down Number of Atoms

On both the reactant and product sides, write down the number of atoms of each element.

Atom	Reactant Side	Product Side
H	2	2
S	1	1
O	3	3

Step 3: To balance the mass in a chemical equation, add coefficients.

It's worth noting that the coefficients to be added must be whole numbers, and that one coefficient added applies to all of the atoms in that single molecule.

Example:

\[4\] hydrogen atoms and \[2\] oxygen atoms make up \[2{H_2}O\].

Attempt to balance the single atom of oxygen first, then go on to hydrogen.

So we'll start with sulphur and then go on to oxygen.

Use the trial-and-error process to find out what works and what doesn't. When two hydrogen atoms are added to both sides, the result is \[4\] on the reactant side and \[4\] on the product side.

So \[2{H_2}O\] is made up of \[2H\] and \[2\] hydrogen sulphide.

To balance oxygen, the same trial and error process is used.

We have \[6\] oxygen atoms on the reactant side and \[6\] oxygen atoms on the product side when we use\[\;3{O_2}\].

As a result, the chemical equation is balanced.

\[2{H_2}S{\text{ }} + {\text{ }}{30_2}\; \to {\text{ }}2S{O_2}\; + {\text{ }}2{H_2}O\]

We can now rewrite the table and check it.

Atom	Reactant Side	Product Side
H	4	4
S	2	2
O	6	6

In both the reactant and the product, the atoms are now balanced.

As a result, the balanced chemical equation for hydrogen sulphide gas burning in air to produce water and sulphur dioxide is:

\[{\mathbf{2}}{{\mathbf{H}}_{\mathbf{2}}}{\mathbf{S}}{\text{ }} + {\text{ }}{\mathbf{3}}{{\mathbf{O}}_{\mathbf{2}}}\; \to {\text{ }}{\mathbf{2S}}{{\mathbf{O}}_{\mathbf{2}}}\; + {\text{ }}{\mathbf{2}}{{\mathbf{H}}_{\mathbf{2}}}{\mathbf{O}}\]

Note:

Sulphur dioxide can irritate your nose, throat, and lungs, causing respiratory disorders including bronchitis. Coughing, wheezing, phlegm, and asthma attacks are all possible side effects. When you exercise, the impacts are amplified. Cardiovascular disease has been linked to sulphur dioxide.