How do you balance the redox reaction, NH4Cl + K2Cr2O7 -> CrCl3 + N2?
They are supposed to be there in a balanced equation. The reaction as shown only shows the important stuff. Redox equations involve electrons going from one element to another. The element gaining the electrons is being reduced and the one losing the electrons is being oxidized. The reducing agent is oxidized and the oxidizing agent (oxidizer) is reduced. The number of electrons being lost is supposed to be the same as those being gained. Get this straight and the rest should fall into place. Redox equations aren’t really that hard – but they can get messy. Start with a clean sheet of paper. First of all, we need to identify the elements whose oxidation state have changed. In this case the Cr in K2Cr2O7 has an oxidation state of +6 and that in CrCl3 is +3, so each atom of Cr gains 3 electrons. That means it is being reduced and is the oxidizer. This half reaction is K2(Cr^6+)2O7 + 6(e^-) = 2(K^+) + 2(Cr^3+) + 7(O^2-) The N in NH4Cl has an oxidation state of +3 and that in N2 has an oxi
