Balancing Equations!!

SUP!!

K so... today's class we learned how to balance equations. Before you learn how to balance equation, you should learn how to name equations, andd... If you don't know how to do that, then i guess you should go back and REVIEW!

K... now the real deal. Well, the main goal of balancing equations is so that the number of atoms on the reactant side of the equation, can equal to the number of atoms on the product side of the equations. You may be thinking, why do they have to be equal? What is the big deal? Well.. it actually IS a big deal, cuz...as you should know, if both sides aren't equal then it would be going against the law of conservation of Mass!!!! So not following that law would definitely be a no no!

Let's try learn as we try some practice problems!

Al + O₂ ---->  Al₂O₃

*Oxygen is diatomic.

Well at first you may think that there is nothing wrong with this equation, however when you count each atoms on each side...the left side only has one aluminum atom, and two oxygen atom. Whereas the right side has two aluminum atoms and three oxygen atoms. From here, you can see that the both sides do not have equal atoms.

Now.. what we can do is to balance the equation by multiplying different atoms on each side by different amounts, in order to satisfy the law of conservation of mass!

1) Multiply oxygen on the left side by 3

  Al + 3O₂  ---->  Al₂O₃

2) Then.. we multiply the WHOLE right side by 2

  Al + 3O₂  ---->  2Al₂O₃

3) And lastly... aluminum on the left side by 4, since there is 4 aluminums on the right side of the equation! So.. the answer would like like this:

  4Al + 3O₂  ---->  2Al₂O₃

_{Well... you must think this is pretty easy.. but there may be harder ones. In the future.... you can follow these rules to make balancing easier!}

_{1) When atoms are combined together, like SO4, think of that as a group. and balance it as a whole group}

<sub>2) Balance Metal ions first, then non-metals

3) Balance single atoms last ;( poor atoms...adoms..adams HAHA ... k im not funny.

*Side note.. when P is a lonely atom by itself, you write it as P4 .</sub> 

_{*When S is by itself, that you write it as S8}

   Well... now that you have all that information stuck inside your brain... you should do some practice problems:

http://www.files.chem.vt.edu/RVGS/ACT/notes/scripts/bal_eq1.html
http://richardbowles.tripod.com/chemistry/balance.htm#part4

Here is a video to help you further understand how to balance equations...