Question

What is the chemical equation for diphosphorus trioxide + water ---> phosphorous acid?

Answer 1

Diphosphorus trioxide + water produces phosphorous acid.

Diphosphorous trioxide is a molecular (covalent) compound. Using the prefixes the molecular formula is `P_2O_3`

Phosphorous acid is `H_3PO_3`

`P_2O_3 + H_2O -> H_3PO_3`

To balance this equation we begin be adding a coefficient of 2 in front of the phosphorous acid.

`P_2O_3 + H_2O -> 2H_3PO_3`

We balance the hydrogen by adding a coefficient of 3 in front of the water.

`P_2O_3 + 3H_2O -> 2H_3PO_3`

I hope this was helpful.
SMARTERTEACHER