Chapter 10

Chemical Formulae
and Balancing
Equations
(Part 2)

Learning Objectives
Learning Outcomes:
3) Define a chemical equation as a
standard universal way to represent a
chemical change or reaction
4) Formulate a chemical equation from a
given chemical reaction
5) Understand the steps to balancing a
chemical equation
6) Interpret a chemical equation (eg.
identify reactants/products in a chemical
reaction)

Writing Chemical
Equations
What is a Chemical Equation ?
What is balancing equation ?
Why must Chemical Equations be balanced
?
How to Balance a Chemical
Equation ?

What is a Chemical
Equation ?
Reactants
Products
It is a standard universal way to
represent a chemical change or
reaction.

What does Chemical Equation

tell us?
Reactants
Products
It tell us what substances are reacting
(the reactants) and what substances
are produced (the products).
The coefficients of a balanced
equation tell us in what ratio the
substances react or are produced.

What does Chemical Equation

tell
us? :
Example
Word equation : hydrogen + oxygen
water
Chemical equation : 2 H2 + O2 2

Hydrogen gas reacts with oxygen gas

H2O
to form water.

What does Chemical Equation

tell
us? :
Example
Word equation : hydrogen + oxygen
water
Chemical equation : 2 H2 + O2 2

2 hydrogen
HEvery
2O

molecules react
with 1 oxygen
molecule, forming
2 water
molecules.

What does Chemical Equation

tell us?

Note: adding coefficients (numbers in

front of the formulae) to the
equation is known as BALANCING
the equation.

Chemical equation : 2 H2 + O2 2 H2O

Why must Chemical Equation

be balanced ?
In a chemical reaction, the atoms of the
reactants are rearranged to form the
products. The total number of atoms of
the reactants remains unchanged after
the reaction.

Why must Chemical Equation

be balanced ?
Example 1 : 2 H2 + O2 2 H2O

2 hydrogen
molecules

1 oxygen
molecule

2 water
molecules

4 H atoms

2 O atoms

4 H atoms;
2 O atoms

The atoms in 2 hydrogen molecules and 1 oxygen

molecule rearranged to form 2 molecules of water

Why must Chemical Equation

be balanced ?
Example
2:

1 methane
molecule
1 C; 4 H
atoms

2 oxygen
molecules

1 carbon
dioxide
molecule

2 water
molecules

4O
atoms

1 C; 2 O

4 H; 2 O
atoms

atoms

Why must Chemical Equation

be balanced ?
The Law of Conservation of Mass states
that mass is neither created nor
destroyed in any chemical reaction.

Why must Chemical Equation

be balanced ?
The mass of all the reactants must
equal the mass of the products.

Example :

2 H2 +
4g of
hydroge
n
gas

O2
32g of
oxygen
gas

2 H2O
36g of
water

Why must Chemical Equation

be balanced ?
The mass of all the reactants must
equal the mass of the products.

Steps to balancing chemical

equations

1) Write all reactants on the left and all

products on the right side of the equation
arrow. Make sure you write the correct
formula for each substance.

Example 1 : H2 + O2

H2O

Steps to balancing chemical

equations

1) Write all reactants on the left and all

products on the right side of the equation
arrow. Make sure you write the correct
formula for each substance.
2) Count the number of atoms for each
element on each side.

Example 1 : H2 + O2
2H
atoms

2O
atoms

H2O
2 H and 1 O
atoms

Steps to balancing chemical

equations

3) Add number (coefficient) in front of the

formula, if necessary, to increase the
number of atoms. Check that all other
atoms are balanced.
Example 1 : 2 H2 + O2
2
4H
atoms

2O
atoms

2H O
2
24 H
H and
and 12 O
O
atoms
atoms

Note : Do not need to write the coefficient 1

when balancing the equation.

Steps to balancing chemical

equations

1) Write all reactants on the left and all

products on the right side of the equation
arrow. Make sure you write the correct
formula for each substance.

Example 2 : Zn + HNO3 Zn(NO3)2 + H2

Steps to balancing chemical

equations
1) Write all reactants on the left and all
products on the right side of the equation
arrow. Make sure you write the correct
formula for each substance.
2) Count the number of atoms for each
element on each side.

Example 2 : Zn + HNO3 Zn(NO3)2 + H2

1 Zn
atom

1H
atom
1 NO3
ion

1 Zn
atom
1 NO3
ion

2H
atom
s

Steps to balancing chemical

equations

3) Add number (coefficient) in front of the

formula, if necessary, to increase the
number of atoms. Check that all other
atoms are balanced.
Example 2 : Zn +2 HNO3 Zn(NO3)2 + H2
1 Zn
atom

1
2H
H
atom
atom
1
s NO3
2ion
NO3
ions

1 Zn
atom
2 NO3
ions

2H
atom
s

Now Yoy try

(a) iron +

Fe

sulfur

iron (II) sulfide

FeS

(b) sodium + chlorine sodium

chloride

2 Na

(c) hydrogen

2H2

Cl2
+

2 NaCl

oxygen

O2

water

2H2O

Now Yoy try

(d)

carbon

+ oxygen

carbon

dioxide

O2

CO2

(e) copper(II) carbonate copper(II)

oxide
+ carbon
dioxide

CuCO3

CuO

CO2

(f) magnesium + hydrochloric acid

Now Yoy try

(g) calcium carbonate + hydrochloric acid

calcium chloride + water + carbon

dioxide
CaCO3 + 2 HCl CaCl2 + H2O +

CO2
(h) copper (II) oxide + sulfuric acid
copper (II) sulfate +
water

Now Yoy try

(i) sodium chloride

silver nitrate

silver chloride

sodium

nitrate

NaCl + AgNO3
AgCl

NaNO3 +

Useful websites
(interactive) :
http://www.wfu.edu/~ylwong/balanceeq/
http://carbon.indstate.edu/equations/