Question

Balance the following equations using the appropriate coefficients.

1. Al + O₂ → Al₂O₃
2. CO + H₂ → CH₄ + H₂O
3. HgO → Hg + O₂
4. CaCO₃ → CaO + CO₂
5. C + Fe₂O₃ → Fe + CO
6. Na + H₂ → NH₃

Answer 1

Balancing chemical equations involves adjusting coefficients to ensure that the number of each type of atom on the reactant side equals those on the product side. Key examples include the decomposition of calcium carbonate and the reaction between butane and oxygen gas.

Step-by-step explanation:

Chemical Equation Balancing

To balance chemical equations, we adjust the coefficients preceding each compound or element so that the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the equation. Below are the balanced versions of the given equations:

1. Solid calcium carbonate is heated and decomposes into solid calcium oxide and carbon dioxide gas: CaCO3(s) → CaO(s) + CO2(g)
2. Gaseous butane reacting with diatomic oxygen gas forms gaseous carbon dioxide and water vapor: 2C4H10(g) + 13O2(g) → 8CO2(g) + 10H2O(g)
3. Aqueous solutions of magnesium chloride and sodium hydroxide produce solid magnesium hydroxide and aqueous sodium chloride: MgCl2(aq) + 2NaOH(aq) → Mg(OH)2(s) + 2NaCl(aq)
4. Water vapor reacts with sodium metal to yield solid sodium hydroxide and hydrogen gas: 2Na(s) + 2H2O(g) → 2NaOH(s) + H2(g)
5. Solid potassium chlorate decomposes to form solid potassium chloride and diatomic oxygen gas: 2KClO3(s) → 2KCl(s) + 3O2(g)
6. Solid aluminum metal reacts with diatomic iodine to form solid aluminum iodide: 2Al(s) + 3I2(s) → 2AlI3(s)
7. Adding solid sodium chloride to aqueous sulfuric acid produces hydrogen chloride gas and aqueous sodium sulfate: 2NaCl(s) + H2SO4(aq) → 2HCl(g) + Na2SO4(aq)
8. Aqueous solutions of phosphoric acid and potassium hydroxide react to produce aqueous potassium dihydrogen phosphate and water: H3PO4(aq) + 3KOH(aq) → K3PO4(aq) + 3H2O(l)