Balancing chemical equations
Balancing a chemical equation involves several steps:
- Write the chemical formulae of the reactants and products.
- Organise these formulae in the form of an equation with a ‘plus sign’ between the reactants on the left and a ‘plus sign’ between the products on the right and an ‘arrow’ between reactants and products indicating the direction of the reaction.
- Adjust the coefficients (preceding the chemical formulae) so that there are equal numbers of each kind of atom on each side of the arrow.
In balancing a chemical equation, NO CHANGES must be made to the chemical formulae of the reactants and products – only the stoichiometric coefficients can be varied.