Question

Phosphorus + iron(lll) oxide=tetraphosphorus decoxide + iron

Answer 1

Answer:

$12~P (s) + 10~Fe_2O_3 (s)\rightarrow 3~P_4O_{10} (s) + 20~Fe (s)$

Explanation:

Before writing this equation in a molecular equation form, let's identify each species:

• phosphorus is a non-metal represented by 'P', it is solid at standard conditions;
• iron(III) oxide is an ionic compound consisting of iron(III) cations with a 3+ charge, as well as of oxide anions with a 2- charge, this means we may represent it as $Fe_2O_3$, which is also a solid material at standard conditions;
• tetraphosphorus decoxide consists of 4 phosphorus atoms and 10 oxygen atoms, as stated by the prefixes, this is also a solid;
• iron metal is simply 'Fe'.

Putting all of this into a single equation and balancing it, we obtain:

$12~P (s) + 10~Fe_2O_3 (s)\rightarrow 3~P_4O_{10} (s) + 20~Fe (s)$