Chapter One: Chemical Equations and Reactions (part 2)

Balancing Chemical Equations:
1- Write the Word Equation for the reaction
2-Write symbols and formulas for reactants and products
3-Count the number of atoms of each element on each side of the arrow
4-balance the equation using coefficients. There should be the same number of each atom on each side of the equation
5-Coefficients should be the smallest whole number.

Example:
Step 1: methane+oxygen yields carbon dioxide+water
step 2: CH4+O2 yields CO2+H2O
step 3: count the number of atoms of each element on each side of the arrow
step 4: CH4+2O2 yields CO2+2H2O
step 5:Check coefficients!

Question: Why do you think we need balanced equations as opposed to unbalanced equations?