Chemical Forums

Chemistry Forums for Students => High School Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: tequilamargarita on July 10, 2018, 07:10:31 PM

Title: predicting products for chemical equations
Post by: tequilamargarita on July 10, 2018, 07:10:31 PM

I had a test with the problem __P₄O₇ :rarrow: _____ and I put 1P₄O₇ :rarrow: PO₄ + PO₃ + P₂ as my answer but it’s wrong? So why is this wrong and how would you go about finding the right answer?

Title: Re: predicting products for chemical equations
Post by: Babcock_Hall on July 10, 2018, 08:01:50 PM

Do those products exist?

Title: Re: predicting products for chemical equations
Post by: tequilamargarita on July 10, 2018, 08:14:13 PM

ohh I looked it up so it’s because polyatomic ions can’t exist on their own?

Title: Re: predicting products for chemical equations
Post by: Babcock_Hall on July 11, 2018, 09:08:55 AM

I am not entirely sure I know what you mean.  Na₃PO₄ exists (it is a salt), and it could dissociate into three sodium ions and the phosphate tri-anion, which should be written PO₄^3- to show that it has a formal charge of minus 3.  But I never heard of a neutral chemical species PO₄.