Final answer:
To balance the chemical equation Cu2S + O2 → Cu2O + SO2, the coefficient for O2 is 2.
Step-by-step explanation:
To balance the chemical equation Cu2S + O2 → Cu2O + SO2, we need to ensure that the number of atoms on both sides of the equation is equal.
Starting with the O2 molecule, we can see that there are 2 oxygen atoms on the reactant side, but only 1 oxygen atom on the product side. To balance this, we need to put a coefficient of 2 in front of O2.
The balanced equation becomes 2Cu2S + 2O2 → Cu2O + 2SO2. Therefore, the coefficient for O2 is 2.