I'm pretty good in 8th grade science but I really need help with balancing chemical equations. I somewhat grasp the idea but it would be nice if someone would explain it more and give me some examples of it. Thanks in advance.
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You want to make sure both sides of the chemical equation have the same number of each specific atom (ex. H, Fe, I, O) So, if you have 2H + 2O on your reactant side of the equation, you will need 2H and 2O on the products side.
Ex. 2H + 2O ----> H2O2
It should be noted that 2H is the same as H2 as long as it is a SINGLE atom.
If they give you an equation and tell you to balance it. Such as,
C6H12O6 + H2O ---------> C3H6O3 + H2O
That is unbalanced, so count count how many of each atom you have on each side and figure out where you need to have more of each specific atom
Step by step for you here.
I notice on the left, I have 6 Carbons, 14 Hydrogen and 7 Oxygen atoms.
On the right I have 3 Carbons, 8 Hydrogen, and 4 Oxygen atoms.
So lets balance it
C6H12O6 + H2O ---------> C3H6O3 + H2O
If I multiply C3H6O3 by 2, I get C6H12O6 (look familiar?)
C6H12O6 + H2O ---------> 2C3H6O3 + H2O
Ex. 2H + 2O ----> H2O2
It should be noted that 2H is the same as H2 as long as it is a SINGLE atom.
If they give you an equation and tell you to balance it. Such as,
C6H12O6 + H2O ---------> C3H6O3 + H2O
That is unbalanced, so count count how many of each atom you have on each side and figure out where you need to have more of each specific atom
Step by step for you here.
I notice on the left, I have 6 Carbons, 14 Hydrogen and 7 Oxygen atoms.
On the right I have 3 Carbons, 8 Hydrogen, and 4 Oxygen atoms.
So lets balance it
C6H12O6 + H2O ---------> C3H6O3 + H2O
If I multiply C3H6O3 by 2, I get C6H12O6 (look familiar?)
C6H12O6 + H2O ---------> 2C3H6O3 + H2O