Which type of equation has the same number of atoms of each element on both sides of the arrow?
Question
Which type of equation has the same number of atoms of each element on both sides of the arrow?
Solution
The type of equation that has the same number of atoms of each element on both sides of the arrow is a balanced chemical equation.
Here are the steps to balance a chemical equation:
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Write down the unbalanced equation. Chemical reactions are usually written with the reactants on the left and the products on the right.
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Count the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation and list them. Make sure you count all atoms, including the ones in compounds.
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Choose an element that is not balanced and balance it by adding coefficients (the numbers in front of atoms or compounds) to the necessary molecules. Start with elements that appear in only one compound on each side.
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Repeat step 3 for the remaining unbalanced elements.
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Check your work. The number of atoms of each element should be the same on both sides of the equation. If they are not, go back to step 3.
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Once all elements are balanced, make sure the coefficients are in the lowest possible ratio.
Remember, you can only change the coefficients in front of compounds, not the subscripts inside them. Changing the subscripts would change the identity of the compound.
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