I’m glad you asked me about how to balance chemical equations. This is a very important skill for anyone who wants to study chemistry or understand how different substances react with each other. Balancing chemical equations means making sure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation, which represents the conservation of mass in a chemical reaction. To balance a chemical equation, you need to follow some simple steps and rules and use coefficients (the numbers in front of the formulas) to adjust the number of atoms. Here are some resources that explain how to balance chemical equations in detail:
Easy Steps for Balancing Chemical Equations by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. This article provides a clear and concise overview of the steps and rules for balancing chemical equations, as well as some examples and tips.
How to Balance Chemical Equations: 11 Steps (with Pictures) by Bess Ruff, MA. This wikiHow guide shows you how to balance chemical equations using two methods: the traditional method and the algebraic method. It also includes a video, questions and answers, and tips and warnings.
Balancing chemical equations (how to walkthrough) by Sal Khan. This video tutorial demonstrates how to balance a chemical equation by making sure you have the same number of atoms of each element on both sides.
I hope these resources are helpful to you. If you want to practice balancing chemical equations, you can also check out these links:
Balancing Chemical Equations Practice Problems by Tyler DeWitt. This video shows you how to solve 10 common balancing problems with step-by-step explanations.
Balancing Chemical Equations Game by PhET Interactive Simulations. This game lets you test your skills in balancing chemical equations by matching molecules with coefficients.
Now, let’s try to balance the equation that you gave me: C₂H₆ + O₂ → CO₂ + H₂O
To balance this equation, we can use the following steps:
Write down the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation. On the left side, we have 2 carbon (C₂), 6 hydrogen (H₆), and 2 oxygen (O₂). On the right side, we have 1 carbon ©, 2 hydrogen (H₂), and 3 oxygen (O + O₂).
Start with an element that appears only once on each side of the equation. In this case, we can start with carbon. To make the number of carbon atoms equal on both sides, we need to add a coefficient of 2 in front of CO₂ on the right side. This gives us: C₂H₆ + O₂ → 2CO₂ + H₂O
Next, we can balance the hydrogen atoms. To make the number of hydrogen atoms equal on both sides, we need to add a coefficient of 3 in front of H₂O on the right side. This gives us: C₂H₆ + O₂ → 2CO₂ + 3H₂O
Finally, we can balance the oxygen atoms. To make the number of oxygen atoms equal on both sides, we need to add a coefficient of 7/2 in front of O₂ on the left side. This gives us: C₂H₆ + 7/2 O₂ → 2CO₂ + 3H₂O
Check that the equation is balanced by counting the number of atoms of each element on both sides. On the left side, we have 2 carbon (C₂), 6 hydrogen (H₆), and 7 oxygen (7/2 O₂). On the right side, we have 2 carbon (2C), 6 hydrogen (3H₂), and 7 oxygen (4O + 3O). The equation is balanced.
However, it is usually preferred to avoid fractions in chemical equations, so we can multiply everything by 2 to get rid of the fraction. This gives us: 2C₂H₆ + 7O₂ → 4CO₂ + 6H₂O
This is the final balanced equation for the combustion of ethane (C₂H₆).