Question

What are the coefficients that should be added to balance this equation? Use complete sentences to explain your answer. Explain how this chemical reaction demonstrates the conservation of mass. (10 points)

a) To balance the equation, you need to add a coefficient of 4 in front of HgS, 3 in front of O2, 2 in front of HgO, and 3 in front of SO2. This balances the number of atoms on both sides of the equation.

b) To balance the equation, you need to add a coefficient of 1 in front of HgS, 2 in front of O2, 1 in front of HgO, and 2 in front of SO2. This balances the number of atoms on both sides of the equation.

c) To balance the equation, you need to add a coefficient of 2 in front of HgS, 3 in front of O2, 2 in front of HgO, and 2 in front of SO2. This balances the number of atoms on both sides of the equation.

d) To balance the equation, you need to add a coefficient of 3 in front of HgS, 2 in front of O2, 1 in front of HgO, and 2 in front of SO2. This balances the number of atoms on both sides of the equation.

Answer 1

To balance the chemical equation, put the coefficients 2, 3, 2, and 2 in front of HgS, O₂, HgO, and SO₂ respectively, adhering to the law of conservation of mass by keeping the number of atoms equal on both sides.

Step-by-step explanation:

The appropriate coefficients to add in order to balance the given chemical equation are 2 in front of HgS, 3 in front of O₂, 2 in front of HgO, and 2 in front of SO₂. This ensures that the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the equation, which conforms to the law of conservation of mass.

When balancing a chemical equation, the coefficients are used to indicate the number of molecules or formula units involved in the reaction. As such, there is no change in the total mass during the reaction because mass cannot be created or destroyed, only rearranged. The molar masses are used in conversions between grams and moles when dealing with mass-mass calculations in stoichiometry. In balancing equations, all whole numbers are used, and if a coefficient is not present, it is assumed to be 1.