Question

Nickel( II) hydroxide(s) decomposes to produce nickel( II) oxide(s) and water.

Short answer

The balanced chemical equation for the decomposition of Nickel (II) hydroxide into Nickel (II) oxide and water is: $2Ni(OH{)}_2(s)\to 2NiO(s)+2H_{2}O(g)$

Step-by-step solution

Write the unbalanced chemical equation

First, we write down the unbalanced chemical equation for the decomposition of Nickel (II) hydroxide into Nickel (II) oxide and water: Ni(OH)2(s) -> NiO(s) + H2O(g)

Count atoms for each element on both sides

Now, count the number of atoms for each element on both sides of the equation. Left side: 1 Nickel atom, 2 Oxygen atoms, and 2 Hydrogen atoms. Right side: 1 Nickel atom, 1 Oxygen atom, and 2 Hydrogen atoms. Currently, the equation is balanced for Nickel and Hydrogen, but unbalanced for Oxygen.

Balance the Oxygen atoms

To balance the Oxygen atoms, we can add a coefficient to Nickel (II) oxide on the right side of the equation: Ni(OH)2(s) -> 2NiO(s) + H2O(g) Now, let's count again the number of atoms for each element on both sides: Left side: 1 Nickel atom, 2 Oxygen atoms, and 2 Hydrogen atoms. Right side: 2 Nickel atoms, 2 Oxygen atoms, and 2 Hydrogen atoms. The Oxygen atoms are balanced now, but the Nickel atoms are not.

Balance the Nickel atoms

To balance the Nickel atoms, we can add a coefficient to Nickel (II) hydroxide on the left side of the equation: 2Ni(OH)2(s) -> 2NiO(s) + H2O(g) Let's count the number of atoms for each element on both sides for one last time: Left side: 2 Nickel atoms, 4 Oxygen atoms, and 4 Hydrogen atoms. Right side: 2 Nickel atoms, 2 Oxygen atoms, and 2 Hydrogen atoms. Now, the Nickel atoms are balanced as well. However, we have generated an imbalance in the Oxygen and Hydrogen atoms as a result.

Balancing Hydrogen and Oxygen atoms

To balance the Hydrogen atoms, we can add a coefficient to water on the right side of the equation: 2Ni(OH)2(s) -> 2NiO(s) + 2H2O(g) Let's count the number of atoms for each element on both sides: Left side: 2 Nickel atoms, 4 Oxygen atoms, and 4 Hydrogen atoms. Right side: 2 Nickel atoms, 4 Oxygen atoms, and 4 Hydrogen atoms. Everything is now balanced!

Final balanced equation

The final balanced chemical equation for the decomposition of Nickel (II) hydroxide is: 2Ni(OH)2(s) -> 2NiO(s) + 2H2O(g)

Key concepts

Nickel(II) Hydroxide Decomposition

Nickel(II) hydroxide decomposition is a thermal decomposition reaction which involves the breakdown of nickel(II) hydroxide solid into nickel(II) oxide solid and water vapor. This type of reaction is commonly observed in various metal hydroxides when they are heated. The decomposition can be symbolically represented by a chemical equation.

In our specific case, the unbalanced chemical reaction for the decomposition process is as follows:
$${\text{Ni(OH)}}_2(s)\to \text{NiO}(s)+{\text{H}}_2\text{O}(g)$$
Understanding the decomposition process is crucial for various applications in fields such as material science and electrochemistry, where nickel compounds are commonly used. For example, knowing the behavior of nickel(II) hydroxide under heat can help in improving the performance of nickel-based batteries.

Stoichiometry

Stoichiometry is a section of chemistry that involves calculating the amounts of substances involved in chemical reactions. It's a critical skill for chemists, as it ensures that chemical equations are proportional and balanced. In the case of nickel(II) hydroxide decomposition, stoichiometry helps us understand the quantitative relationship between the reactant and the products.

When using stoichiometry to describe chemical reactions, we refer to substances in terms of moles, which is a standard unit in chemistry for counting particles. One mole is equivalent to Avogadro's number of particles, which is approximately $6.022\times {10}^{23}$ particles. Stoichiometry considers the law of conservation of mass, which states that mass cannot be created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction. This law is the reason why we must have the same number of each type of atom on both sides of a balanced chemical equation.

Chemical Reaction Balancing

Balancing chemical reactions is a fundamental aspect of stoichiometry. A balanced chemical equation has equal numbers of each type of atom on both sides of the reaction arrow, adhering to the principle of mass conservation.

The process often requires adding coefficients to the chemical formulas in the reaction. These coefficients represent the number of moles of each substance involved in the reaction. For the decomposition of nickel(II) hydroxide, the balancing steps are methodically applied to ensure the number of atoms of each element is equal on both the reactant and product sides of the equation. Here are the key takeaways on how we ultimately balanced our equation:

• We started by writing the unbalanced equation.
• Next, we counted the number of atoms for each element present in the reactants and products.
• Adjustments were made by adding coefficients to balance out the disparities in atom counts.
• After a few iterations of adjustments and recounting, we succeeded in balancing all the atoms in the chemical equation.
• The final verified balanced equation is $$2{\text{Ni(OH)}}_2(s)\to 2\text{NiO}(s)+2{\text{H}}_2\text{O}(g)$$.

Understanding and being skilled at balancing chemical equations is crucial for students and professionals in chemistry to predict the outcomes of reactions and to accurately prepare chemical compounds.