1. Identify the reactants and products:
* Reactants: Nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃) and fluorine (F₂)
* Product: We need to figure out what forms when these react. Nitrogen trifluoride is a stable compound, so the fluorine will likely add to it.
2. Write the unbalanced equation:
NF₃ + F₂ → ?
3. Determine the product:
Fluorine will likely add to the nitrogen trifluoride, forming a higher fluoride of nitrogen. The most likely product is nitrogen pentafluoride (NF₅).
4. Write the complete unbalanced equation:
NF₃ + F₂ → NF₅
5. Balance the equation:
* Nitrogen (N): There's one N on each side, so it's balanced.
* Fluorine (F): There are 3 F on the left and 5 F on the right. To balance, we need 2 NF₃ molecules and 1 F₂ molecule:
2NF₃ + F₂ → 2NF₅
6. Determine the coefficient and symbol for fluorine:
* Coefficient: The coefficient of fluorine (F₂) is 1
* Symbol: The symbol for fluorine is F
Therefore, the balanced chemical equation is:
2NF₃ + F₂ → 2NF₅
