Balance the following equation by entering the correct coefficients.

NaHCO3 --> Na2CO3 + H2O + CO2

I will be happy to check your work.

Hint:

How many "H" is on the left side, and how many are on the right?

To balance the equation NaHCO3 -> Na2CO3 + H2O + CO2, we need to make sure that the number of atoms on the left side of the arrow (reactants) is equal to the number of atoms on the right side of the arrow (products).

Let's start by counting the number of atoms for each element:

On the left side (reactants):
- Sodium (Na): 1 atom
- Hydrogen (H): 1 atom
- Carbon (C): 1 atom
- Oxygen (O): 3 atoms (1 from HCO3 and 2 from CO3)

On the right side (products):
- Sodium (Na): 2 atoms
- Hydrogen (H): 2 atoms (1 from H2O and 1 from HCO3)
- Carbon (C): 1 atom
- Oxygen (O): 4 atoms (3 from CO3 and 1 from H2O)

Now, let's balance the equation step by step:

1. Start by balancing the atoms that appear in only one compound on each side. In this case, it's sodium (Na).
We have 1 Na on the left side, but 2 Na on the right side. To balance it, we need to put a coefficient of 2 in front of NaHCO3 on the left side:

2 NaHCO3 -> Na2CO3 + H2O + CO2

Now we have 2 Na on both sides.

2. Next, let's balance the hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms.
There are 2 H on the left side (1 from NaHCO3 and 1 from HCO3), while there are 2 H on the right side from H2O. The hydrogen is already balanced.

Now, let's balance the oxygen. There are 3 O atoms on the left side (1 from NaHCO3 and 2 from CO3) and 4 O atoms on the right side (3 from CO3 and 1 from H2O).
To balance the oxygen, we need to put a coefficient of 2 in front of H2O on the right side:

2 NaHCO3 -> Na2CO3 + 2 H2O + CO2

Now we have 3 O on both sides.

3. Finally, let's check the carbon (C) atoms.
There is 1 C atom on the left side (from NaHCO3) and 1 C atom on the right side (from Na2CO3). The carbon is already balanced.

Therefore, the balanced equation is:

2 NaHCO3 -> Na2CO3 + 2 H2O + CO2