The equation 12HNO3 + 4Cu2S -> 4Cu(NO3)2 + 6H2O + 8NO + 4SO2

  1. Detailed information about the chemical equation:
  • The left side of the equation includes 2 molecules: 12 molecules of HNO3 (nitric acid) and 4 molecules of Cu2S (copper(I) sulfide).
  • The right side of the equation includes 4 molecules: 4 molecules of Cu(NO3)2 (copper(II) nitrate), 6 molecules of H2O (water), 8 molecules of NO (nitric oxide) and 4 molecules of SO2 (sulfur dioxide).
  • The number of moles of each molecule is balanced on both sides of the equation.
  1. Reaction conditions:
  • This reaction usually occurs at room temperature.
  • Nitric acid is a strong oxidizer so it can react with copper(I) sulfide.
  1. Reaction Process:
  • Nitric acid reacts with copper(I) sulfide to form copper(II) nitrate, water, nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide.
  1. Phenomena that occur:
  • When the reaction occurs, nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide gases will be released, which can be recognized by a distinctive smell.
  • The change in the color of the mixture can be seen when the solid copper(I) sulfide reacts with nitric acid to form a blue solution of copper(II) nitrate.
  • If the reaction is conducted at high temperature, the phenomenon of boiling, evaporation may be observed due to the release of heat.

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