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HowtoBalanceChemicalEquations_Learner

The document explains how to balance chemical equations according to the Law of Conservation of Mass, which states that the number and type of atoms must be equal on both sides of the equation. It provides rules for balancing, such as only changing coefficients and not altering subscripts, and includes examples to illustrate the process. Additionally, it offers practice problems for further application of the balancing techniques.

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jmr8805
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6 views

HowtoBalanceChemicalEquations_Learner

The document explains how to balance chemical equations according to the Law of Conservation of Mass, which states that the number and type of atoms must be equal on both sides of the equation. It provides rules for balancing, such as only changing coefficients and not altering subscripts, and includes examples to illustrate the process. Additionally, it offers practice problems for further application of the balancing techniques.

Uploaded by

jmr8805
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name:______________________________________ Class: ________________ Date: _____________

How to Balance Chemical Equations


The Law of Conservation of Mass states that matter is never created or destroyed.
When writing chemical equations, the Law of Conservation of Mass has to be satisfied.
The number and kind of atoms contained in the reactants must equal the number and
kind of atoms in the products. If the atoms are not equal, we have defied the Law of
Conservation of Mass. Therefore, we must balance the equation.

Balancing chemical equations is easy if you follow some rules.

You can only change a coefficient in front of a chemical formula


You cannot change any subscripts, nor add any subscripts
You may not place a coefficient in the ‘middle’ of a chemical formula
You must end up with the same number and kinds of atoms on both sides of the
equation when you are finished. Count atoms on both sides upon completion to
check yourself.

Practice with this example. Reactants are on the left side of the arrow -
CO + H2 CH3OH products are on the right.

Count the number of atoms on the left side of the arrow, and compare it with the
number of atoms on the right side.

If you draw a vertical line under the arrow, you can easily see the two sides of your
equation. List the atoms as shown.

CO + H2 CH3OH

C -1 C–1
O–1 O–1
H–2 H–4

If you list the atoms in the same order on both sides, you can easily see which atoms
are equal and which are not. Here, you see that we do not have the same number of
hydrogen atoms on both sides. We must follow the rules above to balance this
equation. Add a coefficient of 2 in front of the H2, but do not change any subscripts.

CO + 2H2 CH3OH For every molecule of CO, we must use 2 molecules


of H2 to produce 1 molecule of CH3OH.

The 2H2 means there are 2 molecules of H2 – therefore there are 4 atoms of hydrogen.
Recheck the number of atoms for accuracy. The number of atoms on both sides of the
equation is now equal. We have satisfied the Law of Conservation of Mass.
Name:______________________________________ Class: ________________ Date: _____________

Here’s another example:

Al + O2 Al2O3 Count the number of atoms and list them under


the equation. Compare each side.
Al – 1 Al – 2
O–2 O–3

You might try adding a coefficient of 2 in front of the Al to balance the aluminum atoms.

2Al + O2 Al2O3
It’s OK if the first coefficient you try does not
Al – 2 Al – 2 balance the equation.
O–2 O-3

But: How should we fix the number of oxygen atoms? By looking at the subscripts for
oxygen, you see that we cannot get them to match without adding coefficients. If we
add a coefficient of 2 in front of the O2 on the left, we will then have 4 oxygen atoms.
We cannot achieve 4 oxygen atoms on the right using a coefficient. Let’s try the lowest
common multiple of 2 and 3. That number is 6. We will attempt to have 6 oxygen
atoms on both sides of the equation.

To do this, add a coefficient of 3 in front of the oxygen on the left, and a coefficient of 2
in front of the Al2O3 on the right. Remember, you cannot add a coefficient in between a
molecular formula.

2Al + 3O2 2Al2O3 Now we have balanced the number of oxygen


atoms in our equation, but have caused the
Al – 2 Al – 4
aluminum atoms to be unbalanced.
O–6 O–6

The coefficient is multiplied by each subscript to get the total number of atoms.

Replace the ‘2’ in front of the Al with a ‘4’ to balance the number of aluminum atoms.

4Al + 3O2 2Al2O3 Now we have a balanced equation.

Difficulties encountered when balancing equations like the one above may be solved if
you are patient, follow the balancing rules, count numbers of atoms correctly, and give
the ‘trial and error’ method a try.
Name:______________________________________ Class: ________________ Date: _____________

Balancing Chemical Equations -- PRACTICE


Practice balancing these equations. Start by drawing the dividing line and counting
atoms. Be sure to follow the Law of Conservation of Mass. Check your answers.

1. Zn + HCl ZnCl2 + H2

2. C12H22O11 CO2 + H2O

3. Fe + O2 Fe3O4

4. SnO2 + C CO + Sn
Name:______________________________________ Class: ________________ Date: _____________

5. Na2CO3 + HCl NaCl + H2O + CO2

6. CaC2 + H2O C2H2 + Ca(OH)2

7. KClO3 KClO4 + KCl

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