Is CO2+H2O= H2CO3 a balanced equation, How can you tell?
On both sides of the equation, there are the same number of H, C, and O.
To determine if the equation CO2 + H2O = H2CO3 is balanced, you need to check if the number of atoms for each element on both sides of the equation is equal.
Let's break down the equation and count the atoms of each element:
On the left side (reactant side):
- Carbon (C) - 1 atom
- Oxygen (O) - 2 atoms
- Hydrogen (H) - 2 atoms
On the right side (product side):
- Carbon (C) - 1 atom
- Oxygen (O) - 3 atoms
- Hydrogen (H) - 3 atoms
As we can see, the number of hydrogen atoms is already different on both sides. To balance the equation, we need to adjust the coefficients (numbers in front of each compound) to make the number of atoms equal on both sides.
To balance the equation, let's add a coefficient of 2 in front of H2O:
CO2 + 2H2O = H2CO3
Now, let's count the atoms again:
On the left side:
- Carbon (C) - 1 atom
- Oxygen (O) - 4 atoms
- Hydrogen (H) - 4 atoms
On the right side:
- Carbon (C) - 1 atom
- Oxygen (O) - 4 atoms
- Hydrogen (H) - 4 atoms
The equation is now balanced as the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides.
Final balanced equation:
CO2 + 2H2O = H2CO3