Question

How do you write the formula for this reaction: Potassium chlorate decomposes to potassium chloride and oxygen gas?

Answer 1

Hint: Decomposition means conversion of one chemical into different components after the chemical reaction in the presence of heat. The products contain the chemical elements which resemble the chemical elements of the reactants.

Complete step by step answer:
- In the question it is asked to write the chemical equation for the decomposition of Potassium chlorate to potassium chloride and oxygen gas.
- Means the chemical potassium chlorate is going to convert to potassium chloride and oxygen gas.
- The molecular formula of potassium chlorate is $KCl{{O}_{3}}$ .
- The molecular formula of potassium chloride is KCl and the molecular formula of oxygen is ${{O}_{2}}$ .
- Now after knowing the molecular formulas of the individual components involved in the chemical reaction we can write the balanced chemical reaction easily and it is as follows.
\[2KCl{{O}_{3}}\xrightarrow{\Delta }2KCl+3{{O}_{2}}\]
- In the above chemical reaction two moles of potassium chlorate undergoes decomposition and forms two moles of potassium chloride and 3 moles of the oxygen gas as the products.
- In a balanced chemical reaction reactants should be written on the left hand side and the products should be written on the right hand side of the chemical reaction.

Note: Decomposition reaction generally occurs at higher temperature. Decomposition of potassium chlorate occurs in the presence of manganese dioxide at higher temperature and forms potassium chloride and oxygen as the products. Here manganese dioxide acts as a catalyst.