The balanced chemical equation for the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen exemplifies the fundamental principle of conservation of mass, ensuring that the total number of molecules on the left side equals those on the right side.
Yes, in a balanced chemical equation, the number of atoms of each element on the left side (reactants) is always equal to the number of atoms of the same element on the right side (products). This conservation of mass is a fundamental principle in chemistry.
Let's take a simple example to illustrate this. Consider the balanced chemical equation for the reaction between hydrogen gas (
) and oxygen gas (
) to form water (
):
![\[ 2 \text{H}_2(g) + \text{O}_2(g) \rightarrow 2 \text{H}_2\text{O}(l) \]](https://img.qammunity.org/2024/formulas/physics/college/5bk0rj4u05o6i3714fc1usympmqbulhyrj.png)
In this balanced equation, you can see that there are two molecules of hydrogen gas on the left side and two molecules of water on the right side. Similarly, there is one molecule of oxygen gas on the left side and two molecules of water on the right side.
The coefficients in front of the chemical formulas indicate the stoichiometric coefficients, and they ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation.
So, in this example, the number of total molecules of each type on the left side is equal to the number on the right side, ensuring the conservation of mass in the chemical reaction.