Question

What are the steps in balancing the equation? How to balance chemical equations? Give some examples?

Answer 1

Hint:Chemical formulas of substances can be represented by a chemical equation that react and form products. Here the major point we need to remember while balancing a chemical equation is that the number of atoms of reactants and products should be balanced. Actually chemical equation denotes a symbolic representation of a chemical reaction where the respective chemical formula denotes the reactants and products.

Complete answer:
First we have to look onto steps to be considered while balancing a chemical equation.
To understand the steps well , it is better to analyse it through an example.
For example let us consider an example which is as follows,
Aluminium reacts with oxygen to form aluminium oxide which is in an unbalanced state when we represent the reaction using chemical formula. Hence we need to balance it.
Let us look onto the steps to be followed to balance the above unbalanced equation.
Step1: Unbalanced chemical equation
We are provided with an unbalanced chemical equation. Here we take the example which is : Aluminium reacts with oxygen to form aluminium oxide.
Our aim is to rewrite the equation of reaction with chemical symbols. Then it will be as follows,
$$Al+O_2\to A{l}_2{O}_3$$
Step2: Making a separate list of both reactant and product sides.

Reactant side	Product side
$$Al$$	$$Al$$
$$O$$	$$O$$

Here we identified elements on the reactant side and that of elements on the product side. Then , we have to make a list of all elements on each side for both reactant and product as shown above.
Step3: Identifying atoms of each element.

Reactant side	Product side
$$Al$$: $$1$$	$$Al$$: $$2$$
$$O$$: $$2$$	$$O$$: $$3$$

As we know the number of atoms next to each element on the reactant side differs from the number of atoms next to the same element on the product side. Hence we need to equalize both sides.
For balancing the chemical equation we need to make sure that the number of atoms of each element on the reactant side should be equal to the number of atoms of each element on the product side. As we need to make both sides equal , we should multiply the number of atoms in each element till both sides will become equal in number.
As shown in the above table , the multiplication done on atoms of the reactant side will affect both elements on the product side too.
Step5: Coefficients are placed in front of molecules.
$$2Al+3O_2\to 2A{l}_2{O}_3$$
After the multiplication of the number of atoms of each element till both sides will become equal , then we can put the number which is the coefficient, which is how much we multiplied the element by and placed in front of that element in the particular equation as shown above.
When we take the product side, even if both elements did not get multiplied , still we can place the number which was multiplied as coefficient in front of the compound.
Step6: Checking the equation.
$$2Al+3O_2\to 2A{l}_2{O}_3$$

Reactant side	Product side
$$Al$$ : $$1\times 2=2$$	$$Al$$ :$$2\times 1=2$$
$$O$$ : $$2\times 3=6$$	$$O$$: $$3\times 2=6$$

After placing coefficients in front of molecules , we have to make a list of elements again to check if multiplying the coefficient with subscript of element will give atoms which are equal on both reactant and product side or not.
If they are not equal , we have to rework on the multiplication.
Step7: Finally balanced chemical equation.
$$4Al+3O_2\to 2A{l}_2{O}_3$$

Reactant side	Product side
$$Al$$ : $$4$$	$$Al$$ : $$4$$
$$O$$ : $$6$$	$$O$$: $$6$$

After reworking on multiplication, we have to make a list of elements again to check whether the equation is balanced or not. If both sides are equal we are done with actual balanced chemical equations.
In this way a chemical equation is balanced.
Some examples of balanced chemical equations are as follows,
$$Zn+2HCl\to ZnC{l}_2+H_2$$
$$Zn+H_{2}S{O}_4\to ZnS{O}_4+H_2$$
Above two equations are balanced ones which have an equal number of products and reactants on both sides. Equations are balanced finally by the above balancing steps mentioned.

 Note:Balancing a chemical equation is a mandatory thing which we should be aware of while writing chemical reactions. That balancing should result in an equal amount of reactants and products , then only we can say it is balanced. One important law related with this balancing is the law of conservation of mass where the amount of reactants should be accurately enough to produce equal amounts of products which is used as a principle in large factories for proper profitable production which are relatively concerned with balanced chemical equations.