I'm currently learning about balancing chemical equation but I don't understand the equation below.
2FE + 3CL(subscript 2) -> 2FECL(subscript 3) I understand 2FE balance out but how did 3CL2 became CL3? Thanks
#1. Be careful with your symbols. Fe is iron. FE isn't anything. CO is carbon monoxide, Co is cobalt, co is the abbreviation for company.
#2. DON'T make the mistake of trying to balance by using subscripts. Subscripts tell you what the formula is and that's all. After the equation is written the subscripts may not be changed. Only coefficients may be changed to make the thing balance.
3.
The word equation is this.
iron + chlorine = iron(III) chloride.
4. Convert that to a symbol equation.
Fe + Cl2 ==> FeCl3
5. NOW you can balance it with coefficients but remember you may NOT change any of the subscripts.
So a 3 goes in front of Cl2 to make 6 atoms of Cl and a 2 goes in front of FeCl3 to make 6 atoms Cl. That means we must now place a 2 in front of Fe because of the 2FeCl3.
2Fe + 3Cl2 ==> 2FeCl3 is the fully balanced equation.
To answer your question about the Cl. 3Cl2 did not become Cl3. The Cl in Cl3 is FeCl3 because the valence of Fe (iron) is +3 and the valence of Cl is -1; therefore, the formula for iron(III) chloride is FeCl3.
Let me know if you any follow up questions.
To understand how the equation 2Fe + 3Cl2 -> 2FeCl3 is balanced, let's break it down step by step:
1. Start with the unbalanced equation: 2Fe + 3Cl2 -> 2FeCl3
2. Look at the left side of the equation: 2Fe. This means there are 2 iron atoms.
3. Next, look at the right side of the equation: 2FeCl3. This means there are 2 iron atoms and 3 chlorine molecules, for a total of 9 chlorine atoms (3 chlorine atoms per chlorine molecule times 3 chlorine molecules).
4. Now, let's balance the chlorine (Cl) atoms by adjusting the coefficient in front of Cl2. Currently, there are 3 chlorine atoms on the left side and 9 chlorine atoms on the right side. We need to find a common multiple for 3 and 9, which is 3. Multiplying 3Cl2 by 3 gives us 9Cl2.
5. So, if we multiply both sides of the equation by 3, we have 6Fe + 9Cl2 -> 6FeCl3.
Now, both sides of the equation are balanced. There are 6 iron atoms and 18 chlorine atoms on each side, 6Fe + 9Cl2 -> 6FeCl3.
It's important to note that you can only balance equations by changing the coefficients (the numbers multiplied to each molecule or atom) and not by changing the subscripts (the numbers written below the element symbols). The subscripts represent the number of atoms within a molecule and cannot be changed to balance an equation.