BALANCING CHEMICAL EQUATIONS

A chemical equation is a symbolic representation of a chemical reaction, showing the reactants and products along with their quantities.

Balancing a chemical equation means ensuring that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation.

The law of conservation of mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction; the total mass of reactants equals the total mass of products.

Coefficients are the numbers placed before the compounds in a chemical equation to indicate the number of molecules or moles of each substance involved in the reaction.

To determine coefficients, start by counting the number of atoms of each element in the reactants and products, then adjust the coefficients to equalize the number of atoms on both sides.

The balanced equation is @@ ext{1} ext{CH}_4 + ext{2} ext{O}_2 ightarrow ext{1} ext{CO}_2 + ext{2} ext{H}_2 ext{O}@@.

The balanced equation is @@ ext{HNO}_3 + ext{NaHCO}_3 ightarrow ext{NaNO}_3 + ext{H}_2 ext{O} + ext{CO}_2@@.

The balanced equation is @@ ext{2} ext{H}_2 + ext{1} ext{O}_2 ightarrow ext{2} ext{H}_2 ext{O}@@.

The balanced equation is @@ ext{12} ext{S}_8 + ext{8} ext{O}_2 ightarrow ext{12} ext{SO}_3@@.

The balanced equation is @@ ext{2} ext{NaCl} + ext{F}_2 ightarrow ext{2} ext{NaF} + ext{Cl}_2@@.