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WHAT IS BALACED EQUVATION? |
A balanced equation is one in which the number of atoms of each element is the same on the side of the reactants and on the side of the products .All equations must be balanced in order to comply with the law of conservation of matter There is no definite rule for governing the balancing of an equation .In order to balance an equation the formula of the reactants and products in an equation are fixed and hence an equation can be balanced by taking appropriate numbers of the atoms or molecules of the reactants and the products concerned. Illustrative example : Consider the reaction in which methane burns in oxygen to form carbondioxide and water . The skeleton equation for he above reaction can be written as : CH4 + O2 __________> CO2 + H2O (C=1,H=4 ,O=2) (C=1,H=4,O=3 ) Since the number of hydrogen and oxygen atoms on both sides are unequal ,they should be balanced .in order to have four hydrogen atoms on the right hand side ,we multiply H2O by 2.Then there should be 2 molecules of H2O on the right hand side and so the equation should be written as : CH4 + O2 _________> CO2 +2H2O (C=1 ,H=4,O=2 ) (C=1,H=4 ,O=4 ) Inorder to have four atoms on the right handside ,we multiply O2 by 2 on the left hand side . So the above equation should be written as : CH4 + 2O2 _________>CO2 +2H2O -Balanced equation (C=1,H=4,O=4 ) (C=1,H=4,O=4 ) Here in the above equation ,the number of all types of atoms in the reactant and product molecules is equal ,it becomes equation . |