Question

Which statement correctly explains whether or not this equation is a balanced equation? Na2O H2O → 2NaOH

A. The equation is balanced because it has equal amounts of atoms for each element in the reactants and products.
B. The equation is balanced because it does not follow the law of conservation of mass.
C. The equation is not balanced because there are different numbers in front of the compounds.
D. The equation is not balanced because it has 2 reactants and 1 product.

Answer 1

A. The equation is balanced because it has equal amounts of atoms for each element in the reactants and products.

Answer 2

Answer A is correct. It's balanced as long as you have the same amount of each element on each side (i.e. 2 atoms of sodium as a reactant and 2 molecules of sodium as a product).