Balance this equation. If a coefficient of "1" is required, choose "blank" for that box.
C + Fe2O3 → CO2 + Fe
3C + 2Fe2O3 → 3CO2 + 4Fe
To balance the equation C + Fe2O3 → CO2 + Fe, we need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element on the left-hand side of the equation is equal to the number of atoms on the right-hand side. Here's how you can do it step by step:
1. Count the number of carbon (C) atoms on each side of the equation. There is 1 carbon atom on the left side and 1 carbon atom on the right side.
C + Fe2O3 → CO2 + Fe
2. Since the carbon atoms are already balanced, we can move on to balancing other elements.
3. Count the number of iron (Fe) atoms on each side of the equation. There are 2 iron atoms on the left side and 1 iron atom on the right side.
C + Fe2O3 → CO2 + Fe
4. To balance the iron atoms, we can place a coefficient of 2 in front of the product Fe:
C + Fe2O3 → CO2 + 2Fe
5. Now, let's balance the oxygen (O) atoms. On the left side, we have 3 oxygen atoms from Fe2O3, and on the right side, we have 2 oxygen atoms from CO2.
C + Fe2O3 → CO2 + 2Fe
6. To balance the oxygen atoms, we can place a coefficient of 3 in front of the product CO2:
C + Fe2O3 → 3CO2 + 2Fe
7. Finally, check if all the elements are balanced. We have 1 carbon atom, 2 iron atoms, and 6 oxygen atoms on both sides of the equation.
C + Fe2O3 → 3CO2 + 2Fe
Now the equation is balanced.