Balance the following the chemical equation:
MgO + CaS → MgS + CaO
MgO + CaS → MgS + CaO
The balanced equation is:
MgO + CaS → MgS + CaO
To balance the chemical equation MgO + CaS → MgS + CaO, we need to ensure that the number of atoms for each element on both sides of the equation is the same. Here's how you can balance it step-by-step:
1. Start by counting the number of atoms for each element on both sides of the equation:
- Mg: 1 on the left, 1 on the right
- O: 1 on the left, 1 on the right
- Ca: 1 on the left, 1 on the right
- S: 1 on the left, 1 on the right
2. The equations appear to be already balanced in terms of the number of atoms. However, we should switch the positions of the reactants and products for better convention:
- MgS + CaO → MgO + CaS
Therefore, the balanced chemical equation is MgS + CaO → MgO + CaS.
To balance the chemical equation:
MgO + CaS → MgS + CaO
We need to make sure that the number of atoms of each element is equal on both sides of the equation.
Let's start by counting the number of atoms for each element on both sides:
On the left-hand side (LHS):
Mg: 1 atom
O: 1 atom
Ca: 1 atom
S: 1 atom
On the right-hand side (RHS):
Mg: 1 atom
O: 1 atom
Ca: 1 atom
S: 1 atom
Looking at the equation, we see that all the elements are already balanced except for sulfur (S). There's 1 sulfur atom on both sides, so we don't need to adjust the coefficients of MgO, CaS, and MgS.
To balance the sulfur, we can change the coefficient of CaO. Here's how:
MgO + CaS → MgS + CaO
Since there's 1 sulfur atom on the right side, we need to balance it by having 1 sulfur atom on the left side. Therefore, we add a coefficient of 1 in front of CaS.
MgO + 1CaS → MgS + CaO
Now, let's check the balance:
On the left-hand side (LHS):
Mg: 1 atom
O: 1 atom
Ca: 1 atom
S: 1 atom
On the right-hand side (RHS):
Mg: 1 atom
O: 1 atom
Ca: 1 atom
S: 1 atom
All the elements are now balanced, and the balanced equation is:
MgO + CaS → MgS + CaO