BALANCING EQUATIONS HELP
When balancing equations
- Write the correct chemical formula for each chemical species in the equation.
- Change the co-efficients (whole numbers on the left of a chemical formula) so that,
the number and type of atoms on the reactants (left) = the number and type of atoms on the products (right)
When this is achieved the chemical equation is balanced.
Determine the number of atoms for each element in the following equations
1. Sodium + oxygen → sodium oxide
| Unbalanced |
Balanced |
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Na + O2 → Na2O
Look for an uneven number of O atoms. Double it. ie. 2Na2O
Na + O2 → 2Na2O
Finally, balance the number of Na atoms. |
4Na + O2 → 2Na2O
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2. Sodium + chlorine → sodium chloride
| Unbalanced |
Balanced |
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Na + Cl2 → NaCl
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2Na + Cl2 → 2NaCl
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3. Sodium + water → sodium hydroxide + hydrogen
| Unbalanced |
Balanced |
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Na + H2O → NaOH + H2
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2Na + 2H2O → 2NaOH + H2
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4. Sodium + hydrogen → sodium hydride
| Unbalanced |
Balanced |
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Na + H2 → NaH
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2Na + H2 → 2NaH
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5. Sodium + nitrogen → sodium nitride
| Unbalanced |
Balanced |
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Na + N2 → Na3N
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6Na + N2 → 2Na3N
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