H2O2 → H2O + O2
is this a balanced equation?
No, but you never should need to ask this question because you can figure it out yourself. Note:
There are two H atoms on the left from H2O2.There are two H atoms on the right from H2O. That's balanced for H atoms.
On the left there are two O atoms from the H2O2. On the right there are three O atoms; i.e., one from the H2O and two from the O2. O is not balanced. Therefore, the equation is not balanced because all of the atoms are not balanced.
To determine if the chemical equation is balanced, we need to check if the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation.
Let's count the atoms of each element in the equation:
On the left side:
- Hydrogen (H): 2 atoms
- Oxygen (O): 2 atoms
On the right side:
- Hydrogen (H): 2 atoms
- Oxygen (O): 3 atoms
Since the number of atoms of oxygen is different on both sides, the equation is unbalanced.
To balance it, we need to adjust the coefficients in front of each molecule. By doing so, we can ensure that the number of atoms of each element is equal on both sides of the equation.
The balanced equation for the given reaction is:
2 H2O2 → 2 H2O + O2
Now, on the left side:
- Hydrogen (H): 4 atoms
- Oxygen (O): 4 atoms
On the right side:
- Hydrogen (H): 4 atoms
- Oxygen (O): 2 atoms
Now the number of atoms of each element is equal on both sides of the equation, so it is balanced.