half rxn in acid

• 1. seoerate the equation into two half rxns - if necessary, identify which elements are involved by using oxidation numbers
• 2. balance the species, other than oxygen and hydrogen, in each half reaction
• 3. balance oxygen atoms by adding H2O to the appropriate side (this is justified since the reaction is occuring in aqueous solution)
• 4. balance hydrogen atoms by adding sufficient H+ ions to the appropriate side the of the equations (justified since acidic conditions are present)
• 5. add sufficient electrons to the appropriate side of each equation to balance charges (electrons)
• 6. multiply each half rxn by the appropriate factor to balance electrons transferred
• 7. add the balanced half reactions togeather to get an overall equation **electrons should cancel out. can check charges afterwards to make sure equation is correct