Question

Chlorine gas and solid lithium are produced by the decomposition of solid lithium chloride .

Write a balanced chemical equation for this reaction.

Answer 1

The balanced chemical equation for the decomposition of solid lithium chloride into chlorine gas and solid lithium can be written as:

2LiCl(s) → 2Li(s) + Cl2(g)

This equation shows that for every 2 moles of solid lithium chloride, 2 moles of solid lithium and 1 mole of chlorine gas are produced. The equation is balanced because the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation. There are 2 lithium atoms, 2 chlorine atoms, and 0 oxygen atoms on both the reactant and product side of the equation.