1. Write the reactants and products:
* Reactants:
* Iron(III) chloride: FeCl₃
* Copper(II) sulfate: CuSO₄
* Products:
* Iron(III) sulfate: Fe₂(SO₄)₃
* Copper(II) chloride: CuCl₂
2. Write the unbalanced equation:
FeCl₃ + CuSO₄ → Fe₂(SO₄)₃ + CuCl₂
3. Balance the equation:
* Iron (Fe): There are 2 Fe atoms on the product side and 1 on the reactant side. Add a coefficient of 2 in front of FeCl₃.
* Sulfate (SO₄): There are 3 SO₄ groups on the product side and 1 on the reactant side. Add a coefficient of 3 in front of CuSO₄.
* Copper (Cu): There is 1 Cu atom on the product side and 3 on the reactant side. Add a coefficient of 3 in front of CuCl₂.
* Chloride (Cl): There are 6 Cl atoms on the product side and 6 on the reactant side.
The balanced equation is:
2FeCl₃ + 3CuSO₄ → Fe₂(SO₄)₃ + 3CuCl₂