I am having a hard time figuring out how to write a balanced equation for the reaction of iron and oxygen to produce iron(II) oxide.

I also need a balanced equation for the reaction of iron and oxygen to produce iron (III) oxide.

I would appreciate any and all help.
Thanking you in advance.

Look at your cellulose balance above and see how I did that step by step.

2Fe + O2 ==> 2FeO
I don't understand why you have trouble with that.

4Fe + 3O2 ==> 2Fe2O3
This one can be a little trickier but here is how I do it.

Fe + O2 ==> Fe2O3

I start a little backwards because since I see 2Fe on the right I KNOW I must start with a 2 on the left so I add one.
2Fe + O2 ==> Fe2O3

Now on the right I see 3 O and on the left only 2 O. How do I make up for the uneven number. The answer is since 2 and 3 won't work (3/2 would work but we can't use fractions) I just think of 6 (2*3). Actually think of it in terms of the common denominator in math problems. So I use 2 for the right and 3 for the left as follows:
Fe + 3O2 ==> 2Fe2O3

Of course that screws up the 2 Fe I had but I can change that. I now need 4 on the left since I have 4 on the right.
4Fe + 3O2 ==> 2Fe2O3

(That isn't EXACTLY what I do. I get to this point--
2Fe + O2 ==> Fe2O3 and when I see O2 on the left and O3 I think ok, how to I make O2 so it's actually 3. The answer is to multiply by 3/2 so the equation then looks like this.
2Fe + 3/2 O2 ==> Fe2O3 and it balances as follows:
2Fe on each side
3/2 O2 = 3 O on the left and 3 O on the right.
BUT we can't use fractions so how do I get rid of the 1/2 in 3/2. The answer is to multiply EVERYTHING by 2. So the above equation becomes
4Fe + 3O2 ==> 2Fe2O3.
Voila!!

Certainly! I can help you with that.

To write a balanced equation, you need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation. Here's how you can approach it:

1. Reaction: Iron reacts with oxygen to produce iron(II) oxide.
Let's start by determining the chemical formulas of the reactants and the product.
Iron is represented by the chemical symbol Fe.
Oxygen is represented by the chemical symbol O.
Iron(II) oxide is represented by the chemical formula FeO.

Now, let's count the number of atoms on each side of the equation:
Reactant side: Fe, O
Product side: Fe, O

Since there is one atom of iron (Fe) and one atom of oxygen (O) on both sides, the equation is already balanced. Therefore, the balanced equation for the reaction of iron and oxygen to produce iron(II) oxide is:

Fe + O₂ → FeO

2. Reaction: Iron reacts with oxygen to produce iron(III) oxide.
Similar to the previous case, let's determine the chemical formulas of the reactants and the product.
Iron is represented by the chemical symbol Fe.
Oxygen is represented by the chemical symbol O.
Iron(III) oxide is represented by the chemical formula Fe₂O₃.

Next, let's count the number of atoms on each side of the equation:
Reactant side: Fe, O
Product side: Fe, O

Since there are two atoms of iron (Fe) and three atoms of oxygen (O) on the product side, we need to balance the equation. To do this, we can place a coefficient in front of the reactant(s) as needed.
The balanced equation for the reaction of iron and oxygen to produce iron(III) oxide is:

4Fe + 3O₂ → 2Fe₂O₃

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions.