how do i balance this equation?
Ca + O2 -> CaO
can you also explain to me how you got the answer?
You need twice as many Ca atoms as O2 molecules so
2 Ca + O2
now the right
2 Ca + O2 = 2 CaO
To balance the equation Ca + O2 -> CaO, you need to make sure that there is an equal number of atoms for each element on both sides of the equation.
Step 1: Count the number of atoms on each side of the equation.
On the left side, we have 1 Calcium (Ca) atom and 2 Oxygen (O) atoms.
On the right side, we have 1 Calcium (Ca) atom and 1 Oxygen (O) atom.
Step 2: Balance the elements one by one.
Start with the elements that appear in only one compound.
Let's start by balancing the Calcium (Ca) atoms.
On the left side, we have 1 Calcium (Ca) atom.
On the right side, we also have 1 Calcium (Ca) atom.
So, the Calcium (Ca) atoms are already balanced.
Now let's balance the Oxygen (O) atoms.
On the left side, we have 2 Oxygen (O) atoms.
On the right side, we only have 1 Oxygen (O) atom.
To balance the Oxygen (O) atoms, we need to add a coefficient in front of the CaO on the right side. Since we want the same number of Oxygen (O) atoms on both sides, we can add a coefficient of 2 in front of CaO.
Ca + O2 -> 2CaO
Now, let's count the atoms again.
On the left side, we have 1 Calcium (Ca) atom and 2 Oxygen (O) atoms.
On the right side, we also have 2 Calcium (Ca) atoms and 2 Oxygen (O) atoms.
Now, the equation is balanced with equal numbers of Calcium (Ca) and Oxygen (O) atoms on both sides.