Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Equation Balancing with Subsalicylate

Equation Balancing with Subsalicylate

Hexavalent - 27-3-2012 at 13:34

This has been pestering me for ages, cannot seem to work it out . . .online equation balancers seem to be no good either.

C7H5BiO4 + HCl --> BiCl3 + C7H6O3

I thought that perhaps it had something to do with that the bismuth subsalicylate starting product has no confirmed formula .. . it's exact structure is apparently not known.

Help?

[Edited on 27-3-2012 by Hexavalent]

[Edited on 27-3-2012 by Hexavalent]

watson.fawkes - 27-3-2012 at 15:11

Quote: Originally posted by Hexavalent

This has been pestering me for ages, cannot seem to work it out . . .online equation balancers seem to be no good either.

C7H5BiO4 + HCl --> BiCl3 + C7H6O3

I thought that perhaps it had something to do with that the bismuth subsalicylate starting product has no confirmed formula .. . it's exact structure is apparently not known.

That equation can't be balanced. It's some simple algebra. The first three coefficients must be as thus, balancing BiCl₃: x * C₇H₅BiO₄ + 3x * HCl --> x * BiCl3 + y * C₇H₆O₃. Balancing C, we get 7x = 7y, implying x = y. Balancing H, we get the relationship 5x + 3x = 6y, which is consistent with balanced C only if x = y = 0. Balancing O, we get 4x = 3y, which is non-trivially consistent with balanced H but not with balanced C.

So you're missing either some reagents or products, or both, or need to start over.

arsphenamine - 27-3-2012 at 19:29

Quote: Originally posted by Hexavalent

While the structure may be a large cluster, the simple molecule is good enough for rough stoichiometry.

Inspect the simplified structure at wikipedia.

There is an OH ligand on the Bi that protonates, then leaves as water.

So to amend the equation, add water.

C7H5BiO4 + 3(HCl) --> H2O + BiCl3 + C7H6O3

Hexavalent - 28-3-2012 at 07:13

Thanks a lot arsphenamine and watson, you may have guessed that I am extracting bismuth from pepto-bismol