how do you balance equations to get the formula?
Redox equations have a procedure to follow.
Non-redox equations are done by trial and error.
you just add coefficients to the reactants or products on either side to make sure that the same number of elements are present on one side as there are on the other. you can google or search balance chemical equations on the internet or google khan academy, under chemistry you should be able to find a video to help walk you through the process.
To balance an equation and determine its formula, follow these steps:
Step 1: Write down the unbalanced equation.
Start by writing the given chemical equation with the reactants on the left side and the products on the right side. For example:
H2 + O2 -> H2O
Step 2: Count the number of atoms on each side of the equation.
Count the number of atoms for every element on both sides of the equation. For example, in the above equation, there are 2 hydrogen atoms and 2 oxygen atoms on the reactant side, while there is only 1 oxygen atom on the product side.
Step 3: Determine the element that is unbalanced.
Identify the element with a different number of atoms on each side of the equation. In our example, oxygen is unbalanced.
Step 4: Balance the equation by adding coefficients.
Add coefficients (whole numbers) in front of the molecules or compounds to balance the number of atoms on both sides. Start with the unbalanced element and move to others if needed.
In our example, we need to balance the number of oxygen atoms. We can do this by adding a coefficient of 2 in front of the water (H2O) on the product side:
H2 + O2 -> 2H2O
Now, count the number of atoms again and check whether the equation is balanced. In this case, we have 4 hydrogen atoms and 4 oxygen atoms on each side.
Step 5: Simplify the coefficients, if possible.
Check if any coefficients can be simplified by dividing all of them by their greatest common divisor. If yes, simplify them as much as possible.
For instance, in our example, all the coefficients are already simplified.
Step 6: Write the final balanced equation.
Write down the equation with the balanced coefficients:
2H2 + O2 -> 2H2O
This is the balanced equation with the correct formula.