[kenny1999]

beside using redox, how to balance the following equation in a quick way.

This is a question from a recent test paper.

Zn + HNO3 -> Zn(NO3)2 + H2O + NO

(Note: Zinc + Nitric acid -> Zinc Nitrate + water + nitrogen monoxide)

I really don't know how to balance this if I don't use redox

In fact, I also don't know how to use redox to balance it.

[Schrödinger]

There is one particularly useful sureshot way to balance equations : Principle of atom conservation. All this says is that the number of atoms of each species is the same on both sides of the equation, but that is quite obvious. The key is to use algebra, and not try and keep guessing till you get fed up.

Let's say we assign Zn(NO3)2 with a leading stoichiometric co-efficient 'x'. Let that of NO be 'y'. Hence, using POAC for nitrogen and Zinc, we find that the stoichiometric co-efficient of Zn is 'x' and that of HNO3 is 2x+y. Do this for all the other components of the equation, and then use some random numbers to get real number co-efficients.

This is more of an 'algorithm' if I may say so.
And since that of HNO3 is 2x+y, using POAC for H atom