On what basis is a chemical equation balanced? A chemical equation is balanced on the basis of law of conservation of mass; it states that "matter can neither be created nor be destroyed". If numbers of atoms of various elements are different in reactants' and products' side, it means they are either destroyed or created, which violate the law of conservation of mass. Concept: Chemical Equation Is there an error in this question or solution?
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Updated March 23, 2018 By Lana Bandoim
If you spend time in a chemistry class, you have to learn how to balance equations. Although this may seem like a tedious task, it demonstrates a fundamental law of matter. Making sure both sides of an equation match up on an atomic level demonstrates the law of the conservation of mass.
Balancing equations demonstrates the fundamental law of the conservation of mass. It shows that you cannot create or destroy mass in a chemical reaction, so the mass stays constant.
The law of the conservation of mass states that the total weight of a reaction cannot change because matter cannot be destroyed or created. During a chemical reaction, the mass of the reactants and products must be the same. The total number of atoms stays equal. Elements cannot magically appear or disappear in a reaction, so you have to account for all of them.
In 1789, Antoine Lavoisier found that you cannot destroy or create matter, and the law of the conservation of mass was born. Although he gets most of the credit, he was not the first person to discover or notice this fundamental law in nature. During the fifth century, the Greek philosopher Anaxagoras said that you cannot create or destroy anything because everything is a rearrangement of prior ingredients.
To balance a chemical equation, you make sure the number of atoms for all the elements is the same on both sides – the number of atoms on the reactant side must match the amount on the product side. You cannot change the actual formula while balancing the equation.
Start the process by counting the number of elements on each side. Then, check if both sides are the same. If they are not, use coefficients, which are numbers in front of the formulas, to balance them.
For example, to balance the equation N2 + H2 -> NH3, you would have to make it N2 + 3H2 -> 2NH3, so all the atoms match up on both sides.
A balanced chemical reaction has the same number of atoms on the reactant and product sides. You can use coefficients to achieve this balance, such as multiplying by three and two as in the example.
Conservation of matter is the law. You can also call it the conservation of mass. When we balance an equation, we determine the ratio of reactants to products which allows for the total number of atoms of reactants to match the number of atoms of the products. Since the type of atoms does not change (nuclear processes are a different story) and the number of atoms stays that same, the total mass that goes into the chemical change will match the mass that comes out after the change. Here is an example: 2#H_2# + #O_2# -> 2#H_2O# OR H-H + H-H + O=O -> H-O-H + H-O-H There are 4H atoms before and after the reaction (each with a mass of 1 amu) The total mass before the reaction is 4x1 + 2x16 = 36amu Here is another take on this reaction:
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What law is the basis for a balanced chemical equation?
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