Final answer:
To balance the equation CuSO4(s) + H2O(l) → CuSO4 · 5 H2O(s), you need to ensure that the number of atoms on both sides of the equation are the same. Follow the steps mentioned above to balance the equation.
Step-by-step explanation:
To balance the equation: CuSO4(s) + H2O(l) → CuSO4 · 5 H2O(s), you need to ensure that the number of atoms on both sides of the equation are the same. To do this, you can start by balancing the elements individually.
Cu: There is 1 Cu atom on the left and 1 Cu atom on the right, so it is already balanced.
S: There is 1 S atom on the left and 1 S atom on the right, so it is already balanced.
O: There are 4 O atoms on the left (1 from CuSO4 and 3 from H2O) and 9 O atoms on the right (4 from CuSO4 · 5 H2O and 5 from H2O). To balance the O atoms, you can multiply H2O(l) on the left by 9/5, which will give you 9 O atoms on both sides.
Finally, the balanced equation becomes: CuSO4(s) + 9/5 H2O(l) → CuSO4 · 5 H2O(s).