Solution to Weird Science
To solve this reaction traditionally, observe that the state change
N−3 → N+4 loses
7 electrons, while the state change Cl+7 →
Cl−1 gains 8 electrons.
So the reaction must involve 8 nitrogen atoms for every 7 chlorine atoms.
The alternative method is to treat the coefficients of the 8 compounds
as unknowns in a system of 7 simultaneous equations, one for each element.
Specify one coefficient arbitrarily and the other 7 will be uniquely
determined.
The solution:
21 Sb(ClO4)5 +
40 (NH4)3PO4 +
120 NaOH → 7 Sb3(PO4)5↓ +
120 NO2↑ +
5 Na3PO4 + 105 NaCl + 300 H2O
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