Balancing of Chemical Equations

A chemical equation is the symbolic representation of a chemical reaction using the symbols and formulae of the substances involved in the reaction. It is important to balance chemical equations because there must be an equal number of atoms on both sides of the equation to follow the Law of the Conservation of Mass.

Balancing chemical equations involves the addition of stoichiometric coefficients to the reactants and products. This is important because a chemical equation must obey the law of conservation of mass and the law of constant proportions, i.e. the same number of atoms of each element must exist on the reactant side and the product side of the equation.

Two quick and easy methods of balancing a chemical equation are discussed in this article. The first method is the traditional balancing method and the second one is the algebraic balancing method.

• A chemical equation is a symbolic representation of a chemical reaction in which the reactants and products are denoted by their respective chemical formulae.

• An example of a chemical equation is 2H2 + O2 → 2H2O which describes the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to form water

• The reactant side is the part of the chemical equation to the left of the ‘→’ symbol whereas the product side is the part to the right of the arrow symbol.