Final answer:
The missing coefficients in the chemical equation Fe + Cl2 → FeCl3 are 2 for Fe and FeCl3, and 3 for Cl2, to balance the atoms of each element on both sides of the equation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking how to balance the chemical equation Fe + Cl2 → FeCl3. To find the missing coefficients, we must ensure that the number of atoms of each element is equal on both sides of the equation. This is achieved through the process of balancing the equation.
The correct balanced chemical equation should look like this: 2 Fe(s) + 3 Cl2(g) → 2 FeCl3(s). We place a coefficient of 2 before Fe(s) on the left side and FeCl3(s) on the right side to indicate that there are two moles of iron (Fe) and two moles of iron(III) chloride (FeCl3). And a coefficient of 3 in front of Cl2(g) on the left side indicates that there are three moles of chlorine gas. With these coefficients, there are 2 atoms of Fe and 6 atoms of Cl on both sides of the equation, making it balanced.