Final answer:
In balanced nuclear and chemical equations, the sums of the subscripts on each side of the equation and the sums of the superscripts are the same. The most useful quantity for counting particles is the mole. Steps for balancing a chemical equation involve identifying the most complex substance, balancing the atoms and polyatomic ions, and counting the numbers of atoms to ensure a balanced equation.
Step-by-step explanation:
In balanced nuclear equations, the sums of the subscripts on each side of the equation are the same, as are the sums of the superscripts.
The most useful quantity for counting particles is the mole. So if each coefficient is multiplied by a mole, the balanced chemical equation tells us that 1 mole of nitrogen reacts with 3 moles of hydrogen to produce 2 moles of ammonia. This is the conventional way to interpret any balanced chemical equation.
Steps in Balancing a Chemical Equation:
- Identify the most complex substance.
- Beginning with that substance, choose an element(s) that appears in only one reactant and one product, if possible. Adjust the coefficients to obtain the same number of atoms of this element(s) on both sides.
- Balance polyatomic ions (if present on both sides of the chemical equation) as a unit.
- Balance the remaining atoms, usually ending with the least complex substance and using fractional coefficients if necessary. If a fractional coefficient has been used, multiply both sides of the equation by the denominator to obtain whole numbers for the coefficients.
- Count the numbers of atoms of each kind on both sides of the equation to be sure that the chemical equation is balanced.