Balancing chemical equations

[lardarsch]

Hello, I was just wondering if I could get some help balancing chemical equations because I honestly don't get it at all. Thanks!

Example: (the numbers after the elements are subscripts)

KClO3 ----> KCl + O2

[Histamina]

lardarsch

Hello, I was just wondering if I could get some help balancing chemical equations because I honestly don't get it at all. Thanks!

Example: (the numbers after the elements are subscripts)

KClO3 ----& KCl + O2

Ok, Maybe I can help you, but I'm not native English speaker, so please be patient.

() = subcripts

1- You have to balance the metals

[KClO(3)] ---> [KCl] + [O(2)]

1 K ---> 1K.

2- You have to balance non-metal elements, except O and H

1 Cl ----- 1 Cl

3- Finish, you balance the O and H if you have.

2 O --- 3 O

So, you put 3 and 2 before O (the entire compound)

and you have 2 [KClO(3)] ----> [KCl] + 3 [O(2)]

But, you have to put a 2 in KCl too, because you added 1 K and 1 Cl in the reactives

2 [KClO(3)] ---> 2 [KCl] + 3 [O(2)]

2K --- 2K
2 Cl --- 2 Cl
2* (3)= 6 O ---- 3 * (2)= 6 O

It's the balanced equation

If it's a complex REDOX reaction, you have to do it in a very diferent way (so long to write it right now), but with simple oxidations, decompositions, and Acid-Base reactions, I think it works fine.

[Suicidesoldier#1]

God Damn it do you want to kill us all?

[DXnobodyX]

KClO(3)---->KCl + O(2)

Because you have not added anything to the reaction, there should be the same amount of each element when you finish [3KCl + 3O(2] as you do when you start [2KClO(3)]

We start with:
-1 [K]
-1 [Cl]
-3 [O]

However I finish with:
-1 [K]
-1 [Cl]
-2 [O]

Do you notice that the amount of oxygen we finish with doesn't match the amount we start with?
To balance the equation we have to fix that. But we can't change the molecule (ie subscript), but we can change the number of molecules we use which effects both sides as we aren't adding or subtracting anything.

If we add another lot of KClO(3) we get:
2KClO(3)-----> 2KCl + 3O(2)

So we start with
-2x[K]
-2x[Cl]
-6x[O]

and we finish with:
-2x[K]
-2x[Cl]
-6x[O]

Viola the amounts of each element is balanced in the reactants and the products

[bratsche]

CAN SOMEONE PM ME & HELP ME WITH MINE, TOO?

[DXnobodyX]

bratsche

CAN SOMEONE PM ME & HELP ME WITH MINE, TOO?

No the point of the forum is to post so other ppl can read it to, if you post it in this thread im sure one of use will pick up on it.

[bratsche]

DXnobodyX

bratsche

CAN SOMEONE PM ME & HELP ME WITH MINE, TOO?

No the point of the forum is to post so other ppl can read it to, if you post it in this thread im sure one of use will pick up on it.

i didnt wanna take over their thread...
but sure.

[DXnobodyX]

bratsche

DXnobodyX

bratsche

CAN SOMEONE PM ME & HELP ME WITH MINE, TOO?

No the point of the forum is to post so other ppl can read it to, if you post it in this thread im sure one of use will pick up on it.

i didnt wanna take over their thread...
but sure.

The OP's question was answered in the first post and there is another 2 after so if she didn't get it from those having someone explain yours so they can read it might help even more.

[Shokushu]

Balancing the equation is really easy. If you don't understand what's going on then we should probably rewrite it so there's nothing visually distracting.

KClO3 -> KCl + O2
can instead be
a + 3b = a + 2b
Now it's just like a lot of math you've probably done to death.

There's the same a on both sides so no problem there. The b is messy though: 3 doesn't = 2. We can solve this by multiplying them till they match. Since 2 and 3 are both prime numbers we can't do any better multiplying them together (if they weren't you could break them into prime factors and multiply the factors that didn't match.)

so 6b is 2 * O3 (from the original equation.) Since KClO3 is a single molecule that means we have 2 KClO3 = ?KCl and 3O2. Hopefully by now I don't need to explain why this means that you have 2 KCl + 3 O2 as the right side of the equation.

If you see what's going on you can really do most of this without thinking about it nearly so much as this.

If you take the physical parts out you're really just multiplying things on both sides until the numbers match up. If you understand the physical parts then, well, there's really nothing to trip up on from that side.

[Oxymouse]

KClO3 ----> KCl + O2

Everything is balanced but the O2.

What I do is find the number that makes 2 * ? = 3
This case it's 1.5

KClO3 ----> KCl + 1.5O2

That is technically correct but it's better if we work with whole numbers (especially with ratios), so make 1.5 * ? = to the nearest whole number (which is 2). Make sure you double ALL the species to make it the same ratio still.

2 [ KClO3 ----> KCl + 1.5O2 ]

2KCL03 ----> 2KCL + 302