In: Chemistry
Why would the actual coefficients of a ferrous ammonium sulfate hexahydrate and the potassium iron oxalate complex in a balanced chemical equation describing the overall process not be required to compute the predicted weight of the product?
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 Ans: Ferrous ammonium sulfate, Fe(NH4)2(SO4)2·6H2O, when dissolved in excess oxalic acid, H2C2O4 , various reacton take place are:-  | 
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 2Fe 2+  | 
 =  | 
 2Fe 3+ + 2e-  | 
 (2e- "lost")  | 
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 H2O + HO2- + 2e-  | 
 =  | 
 3OH-  | 
 (2e- "gained")  | 
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 H2O + HO2- + 2Fe 2+  | 
 =  | 
 2Fe3+ + 3OH-  | 
 (net reaction)  | 
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FeC2O4 is the source of the Fe 2+ and over all reaction is
Fe(NH4)2(SO4)2· 6H2O + H2C2O4 = FeC2O4(s) + H2SO4 + (NH4)2SO4 + 6H2O(l)
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 The OH- ion concentration of the solution is high enough so that some of the Fe3+ reacts with OH- to form ferric hydroxide (brown precipitate) asFe3+ + 3OH- = Fe(OH)3(s)  | 
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 With the addition of more H2C2O4, the Fe(OH)3 dissolves and the soluble complex K3[Fe(C2O4)3]· 3H2O is formed according to: 3K2C2O4 + 2Fe(OH)3(s) +3H2C2O4 = 2K3[Fe(C2O4)3]· 3H2O + 3H2O  | 
The complexity of the series of reactions described in
equations 1 - 4 may be greatly simplified by following the
Fe2+/Fe3+ ion throughout. One discovers that
for every mole of
Fe(NH4)2(SO4)2].
6H2O used as starting material, one mole of
K3[Fe(C2O4)3].3H2O
will be obtained as the final product.
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 Fe(NH4)2(SO4)4. 6H2O + H2C2O4  | 
 =  | 
 FeC2O4 + ......etc.  | 
 (Fe2+ = Fe2+)  | 
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 FeC2O4 + K2C2O4 + H2O2  | 
 =  | 
 Fe(OH)3(s) + .....etc  | 
 (Fe2+ = Fe3+)  | 
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 Fe(OH)3 + H2O2 + K2C2O4  | 
 =  | 
 K3[Fe(C2O4)3]·3H2O + ..etc  | 
 (Fe3+ = Fe3+)  |