Download Balancing Chemical Equations

BALANCING CHEMICAL
EQUATIONS
Allie Burke, Mason Glass, Stephanie Shirvell
BALANCING EQUATIONS
When a chemical
reaction occurs, it
can be described in
a mathematical
equation. The
chemicals on the
left side represent
the reactants and
the chemicals on
the right side
represent the
product that is
formed after the
reaction occurs.
LAW OF CONSERVATION OF MASS
The law of
conservation of mass
states that matter
cannot either be
created or destroyed
in a chemical reaction.
This means that the
mass on both sides of
an equation
comparing reactants
to products must be
the same.
HOW TO BALANCE
Think of a teeter
totter. The mass on
both sides must be the
same for the activity
to work properly.
Therefore you must
change the amount of
atoms in each
chemical to balance
the sides.
UNBALANCED REACTION

In an unbalanced reaction, the
number of atoms of each
chemical are different on each
side.
For example:
H2 + O2  H2O
In this example the hydrogen
atoms are balanced, there are
two on each side, yet the
oxygen atoms are unbalanced.
There are two atoms on the left
side and only one on the right
side.

H2 + O2  H2O
2 + 2 2 1
NEXT STEP
H2 + O2  H2O
To balance this equation You need to Change
the numbers of oxygen on the right side.
You cannot add a subscript number in a
reaction to change the amount of atoms,
you can only change the amount of
compounds. Therefore you add another to
the front of the compound. Since the
compounds cannot be separated, you
cannot just add a two in front of the
oxygen atom only, it has to be in front of
the whole compound.

H2 + O2  2H2O
2+ 2  4 2
Great! Now the oxygen atoms are balanced,
yet there’s another problem. Now the
hydrogen atoms aren’t balanced. It is
still an unbalanced equation.
ITS BALANCED!
H2 + O2  2H2O
2 + 2 4 2
To balance this equation, you
need to make the
Hydrogen atoms on the
left hand side equal to the
atoms on the left hand
side. Therefore you add
another change the one H2
to 2H2 .
2H2 + O2  2H2O
4 + 2  4 2
IT’S BALANCED!!!!!
BIBLIOGRAPHY
wikipedia.org
vision learning
balancing chemical equations
Balancing Equations Picture
Law of Conservation of Mass
Winne The Poo
teeter totter picture
balanced teeter totter