2Ga (s) + 3C12 (g) → 2GaCl3 (s)
not balanced
• balanced
2Ga (s) + 3Cl2 (g) → 2GaCl3 (s)
To balance the given chemical equation: 2Ga (s) + 3Cl2 (g) → 2GaCl3 (s)
1. Count the atoms of each element on both sides of the equation.
On the left side:
- Ga: 2
- Cl: 0
On the right side:
- Ga: 2
- Cl: 6
2. Start by balancing the least abundant element first, which in this case is gallium (Ga). There are already 2 atoms of gallium on both sides of the equation, so gallium is balanced.
3. Next, balance the chlorine (Cl) atoms. There are 0 chlorine atoms on the left side and 6 on the right side.
4. To balance the Cl atoms, place a coefficient of 3 in front of Cl2 on the left side of the equation:
2Ga (s) + 3Cl2 (g) → 2GaCl3 (s)
5. Now, re-count the atoms:
On the left side:
- Ga: 2
- Cl: 6
On the right side:
- Ga: 2
- Cl: 6
Both sides now have 2 gallium atoms and 6 chlorine atoms, so the equation is balanced.
To balance the given equation:
2Ga (s) + 3Cl2 (g) → 2GaCl3 (s)
We need to make sure that the total number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation. 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:
Ga: 2 on the left, 2 on the right
Cl: 6 on the left, 6 on the right
2. Balance the atoms that appear in more than one element.
In this case, there is chlorine (Cl) present in both Cl2 and GaCl3. To balance it, we need 6 chlorine atoms on both sides. We can achieve this by multiplying the Cl2 on the left by 2:
2Ga (s) + 2Cl2 (g) → 2GaCl3 (s)
3. Now let's look at gallium (Ga). We currently have 2 gallium atoms on the left and 2 on the right. Since the number of Ga atoms is already balanced, we don't need to make any changes.
The balanced equation is:
2Ga (s) + 2Cl2 (g) → 2GaCl3 (s)
Now the equation is balanced, with 2 gallium atoms, 6 chlorine atoms, and 2 chloride compounds on both sides.