Question

Given the unbalanced equation:

__Mg(ClO3)2(s) → __MgCl2(s) + __O2(g)
What is the coefficient of O2 when the equation is balanced correctly using the smallest whole-number coefficients?

Answer 1

The coefficient of O2 in the balanced chemical equation Mg(ClO3)2(s) → MgCl2(s) + O2(g) is 3. This ensures that the number of oxygen atoms is equal on both the reactant and product sides of the equation.

Step-by-step explanation:

When balancing the chemical equation Mg(ClO3)2(s) → MgCl2(s) + O2(g), we must ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation.

This means that magnesium (Mg), chlorine (Cl), and oxygen (O) atoms must be balanced.

Starting with magnesium and chlorine, since they are already balanced with one Mg atom on both sides and two Cl atoms on both sides, our focus turns to the oxygen atoms.

The original compound Mg(ClO3)2 contains six oxygen atoms (since there are two chlorate ions and each chlorate ion has three oxygen atoms), while the product side initially shows only one molecule of O2, which has two oxygen atoms.

To balance the oxygen atoms, we place a coefficient of 3 in front of O2, giving us six oxygen atoms in total.

This balances the oxygen atoms on both sides of the equation.

The balanced equation is 1 Mg(ClO3)2(s) → 1 MgCl2(s) + 3 O2(g), which means the coefficient of O2 when the equation is correctly balanced using the smallest whole-number coefficients is 3.

Answer 2

The balanced equation is 3Mg(ClO3)2(s) → 3MgCl2(s) + 3O2(g).

Step-by-step explanation:

In order to balance the given chemical equation __Mg(ClO3)2(s) → __MgCl2(s) + __O2(g), we need to ensure that the number of each type of atom on both sides of the equation is the same. Let's start with the unbalanced equation:

__Mg(ClO3)2(s) → __MgCl2(s) + __O2(g)

First, we balance the number of magnesium (Mg) atoms on both sides. Since there are 3 chlorine (Cl) atoms on the right side, we place a coefficient of 3 in front of MgCl2:

__Mg(ClO3)2(s) → 3MgCl2(s) + __O2(g)

Now, let's balance the number of chlorine atoms. We achieve this by placing a coefficient of 3 in front of Mg(ClO3)2:

3Mg(ClO3)2(s) → 3MgCl2(s) + __O2(g)

Finally, to balance the oxygen atoms, we need to have 3 O2 molecules on the right side. Therefore, the balanced equation is:

3Mg(ClO3)2(s) → 3MgCl2(s) + 3O2(g)

This ensures that the number of each type of atom is the same on both sides of the equation, and the coefficients are the smallest whole numbers possible. Balancing chemical equations is crucial for maintaining the law of conservation of mass, ensuring that the same amount of each type of atom is present before and after the reaction.