Balance this chemical equation please!
___ CuSO4 + ___ Mg -> Cu + MgSO4
Please tell me what you don't understand about this equation. It is balanced. I see 1 Cu on both sides, I see 1 Mg on both sides, I see 1 S on both sides and I see 4 O atoms on each side. Isn't that balanced?
Yes, I thought it was balanced but the question asked used to balance them.
Isnt this equation already balanced as well?
AgNO3 + NaCl -> AgCl + NaNO3
1 Ag on each side, 1 NO3 on each side, 1 Cl on each side and Na on each side. Our teacher asked used to balance these equations but they already are balanced. Sorry Dr. Bob
I think the teacher may want you to insert a 1 for the coefficient for the CuSO4 and Mg equation to show that it is balanced. In practice you don't need a 1 there but where you are filling in the blanks a 1 is almost necessary for you to communicate with the grader that you know a 1 belongs there. Often, if you leave it blank, the grader will think you didn't know how to balance it (just as I thought when I wrote the first response).
Yes, the AgNO3 + NaCl equation is balanced, also. If it has blanks I would insert the number 1 in them.
Thanks :)
To balance the chemical equation, you need to ensure that the number of atoms on both sides of the equation is the same. Here's how to do it step by step:
First, count the number of atoms for each element on each side of the equation.
On the left side:
- Cu: 1 atom
- S: 1 atom
- O: 4 atoms
- Mg: 1 atom
On the right side:
- Cu: 1 atom
- S: 1 atom
- O: 4 atoms
- Mg: 1 atom
The number of atoms for copper (Cu), sulfur (S), oxygen (O), and magnesium (Mg) is already balanced.
Next, you can balance the equation by adjusting the coefficients (numbers in front of the chemical formulas) to equalize the atoms on each side.
To balance the equation, you need to start with the elements that appear in the fewest compounds. In this case, magnesium (Mg) appears in only one compound on each side.
The equation becomes:
1 CuSO4 + ___ Mg -> 1 Cu + 1 MgSO4
Now, to balance the number of sulfates (SO4), place a coefficient of 1 in front of MgSO4:
1 CuSO4 + 1 Mg -> 1 Cu + 1 MgSO4
Finally, to balance the number of copper atoms, place a coefficient of 1 in front of CuSO4:
1 CuSO4 + 1 Mg -> 1 Cu + 1 MgSO4
Therefore, the balanced chemical equation is:
CuSO4 + Mg -> Cu + MgSO4