can any one tell me how to solve a chemical equation. Please. I would mark you as a brainliest.
Answers
Answer:
This is usually called “balancing” a chemical equation: making sure that equal numbers of each element appear on both sides. When I was in junior high school, we were told to do this by a certain method. There were rules about balancing the hydrogens first, and so on, then doing it by trial and error. I got frustrated with spending hours trying to balance equations by this method — balancing one element always caused others once to be out of balance. So on my own, I came up with another, systematic method using algebra.
As an example, take the unbalanced equation:
Fe 2 O 3 + C → Fe + CO 2
Here there are 2 Fe (iron) on the left and 1 on the right; 3 O (oxygen) on the left and 2 on the right; and 1 C (carbon) on both sides. The approach I came up with in junior high is to introduce coefficients a , b , c , d :
a Fe 2 O 3 + b C → c Fe + d CO 2
Now in order for the equation to balance, we must have
Fe: 2a = c
O: 3a = 2d
C: b = d
Now you will have simultaneous equations, which you can easily solve. You will always have one more unknown than you have equations, so you can solve for each of the coefficients in terms of one of them…let’s say we’ll solve for them all in terms of a . Then we get
a = a; b = 32 a; c = 2a; d = 32 a
Now pick some value for a so that a, b, c, d will all be integers with no common multiple; in this case, I’ll pick a=2. Then we get
a = 2; b = 3; c = 4; d = 3
and so the balanced equation is
2Fe 2 O 3 + 3C → 4Fe + 3CO 2
Now the equation is balanced, and no “trial and error” was required.
Answer:
How to Balance Chemical Equations - Method 1 Doing a Traditional Balance
Write down your given equation.
Write down the number of atoms per element.
Save hydrogen and oxygen for last, as they are often on both sides.
Start with single elements.
Use a coefficient to balance the single carbon atom.
Balance the hydrogen atoms next.
Balance the oxygen atoms.
Explanation: