Final answer:
To balance the equation, start by balancing the elements that appear in only one compound on each side. Then, balance the other elements by adjusting the coefficients. The balanced equation is 3BaCl2 + Al2(SO4)3 → 3BaSO4 + 2AlCl3.
Step-by-step explanation:
How to Balance the Chemical Equation
To balance the chemical equation BaCl2 + Al2(SO4)3 → BaSO4 + AlCl3, we need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is equal on both the reactant and product sides of the equation. Begin by counting the atoms of each element in the reactants and products:
- Barium (Ba): 1 atom on both sides.
- Chlorine (Cl): 2 atoms in BaCl2, but 3 atoms in AlCl3. The chlorine atoms are not balanced.
- Aluminum (Al): 2 atoms in Al2(SO4)3, but 1 atom in AlCl3. The aluminum atoms are not balanced.
- Sulfur (S): 3 atoms in Al2(SO4)3, but 1 atom in BaSO4. The sulfur atoms are not balanced.
- Oxygen (O): 12 atoms in Al2(SO4)3 (3 sulfates each containing 4 oxygen atoms), but 4 atoms in BaSO4. The oxygen atoms are not balanced.
To balance the equation:
- Start by balancing the atoms of elements that appear in only one compound on each side. In this case, we can start with barium and sulfur, which are already balanced.
- Next, balance the aluminum by adding a coefficient of 2 in front of AlCl3. The equation now looks like this: BaCl2 + Al2(SO4)3 → BaSO4 + 2AlCl3.
- Finally, balance the chlorine atoms by adding a coefficient of 3 in front of BaCl2. The balanced equation now is: 3BaCl2 + Al2(SO4)3 → 3BaSO4 + 2AlCl3.
The balanced chemical equation indicates that 3 moles of barium chloride react with 1 mole of aluminum sulfate to produce 3 moles of barium sulfate and 2 moles of aluminum chloride.