Balancing equations?
NaOH + H3PO4 ----> Na3PO4 + H2O
C3H8 + O2 ----> CO2 + H2O
To balance the given equations, follow these step-by-step procedures:
1. NaOH + H3PO4 → Na3PO4 + H2O
Step 1: Count the number of atoms for each element on both sides of the equation.
Left side: Na: 1, H: 3, O: 1, P: 1
Right side: Na: 3, H: 2, O: 5, P: 1
Step 2: Balance the elements one at a time, starting with the ones that appear in the fewest compounds.
Balance hydrogen (H) first:
Left side: H: 3, Right side: H: 2
Multiply the H3PO4 on the left by 2 to get 2H3PO4:
NaOH + 2H3PO4 → Na3PO4 + H2O
Step 3: Balance oxygen (O):
Left side: O: 1, Right side: O: 5
Multiply the H2O on the right by 5 to get 5H2O:
NaOH + 2H3PO4 → Na3PO4 + 5H2O
Step 4: Balance sodium (Na):
Left side: Na: 1, Right side: Na: 3
Multiply the NaOH on the left by 3 to get 3NaOH:
3NaOH + 2H3PO4 → Na3PO4 + 5H2O
The balanced equation is:
3NaOH + 2H3PO4 → Na3PO4 + 5H2O
2. C3H8 + O2 → CO2 + H2O
Step 1: Count the number of atoms for each element on both sides of the equation.
Left side: C: 3, H: 8, O: 2
Right side: C: 1, H: 2, O: 3
Step 2: Balance the elements one at a time, starting with the ones that appear in the fewest compounds.
Balance carbon (C) first:
Left side: C: 3, Right side: C: 1
Multiply CO2 on the right by 3 to get 3CO2:
C3H8 + O2 → 3CO2 + H2O
Step 3: Balance hydrogen (H):
Left side: H: 8, Right side: H: 2
Multiply H2O on the right by 4 to get 4H2O:
C3H8 + O2 → 3CO2 + 4H2O
Step 4: Balance oxygen (O):
Left side: O: 2, Right side: O: 10
Multiply O2 on the left by 5 to get 5O2:
C3H8 + 5O2 → 3CO2 + 4H2O
The balanced equation is:
C3H8 + 5O2 → 3CO2 + 4H2O
Balancing chemical equations involves ensuring that the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation is equal. To balance equations, follow these steps:
1. Start by counting the number of atoms for each element on each side of the equation.
In the first equation:
Na: 1 on the left, 3 on the right
H: 3 on the left, 5 on the right
O: 1 on the left, 4 on the right
P: 1 on the left, 1 on the right
In the second equation:
C: 3 on the left, 1 on the right
H: 8 on the left, 2 on the right
O: 2 on the left, 3 on the right
2. Determine which atoms are unbalanced. In the first equation, we can see that sodium (Na), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) are unbalanced. In the second equation, carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) are unbalanced.
3. Balance the unbalanced atoms one by one, starting with the most complex molecule or the one with the highest number of atoms.
In the first equation:
Sodium (Na): Both sides need 3 Na atoms. Add a coefficient of 3 in front of NaOH on the left side.
Hydrogen (H): Both sides need 6 H atoms. Add a coefficient of 6 in front of H3PO4 on the right side.
Oxygen (O): Both sides need 6 O atoms. Add a coefficient of 3 in front of Na3PO4 on the right side.
The first equation is now balanced: 3NaOH + H3PO4 ---> Na3PO4 + H2O
In the second equation:
Carbon (C): Both sides need 3 C atoms. Add a coefficient of 3 in front of CO2 on the right side.
Hydrogen (H): Both sides need 8 H atoms. Add a coefficient of 4 in front of H2O on the right side.
Oxygen (O): Both sides need 10 O atoms. Add a coefficient of 5/2 (or 2.5) in front of O2 on the left side.
The second equation is now balanced: C3H8 + (5/2)O2 ---> 3CO2 + 4H2O
After following these steps, the chemical equation should be balanced with the same number of atoms for each element on both sides.