Balancing Equations Target 4-3

Balanced Equations An equation is balanced if EACH element has the same number of atoms on both sides of the equation (products and reactants) This is important because it shows that atoms don’t just “appear” – they only get rearranged in the reaction

How to Balance an Equation Start with an atom count (use a particle diagram for now) Remember that coefficients tell us how many copies of each molecule we have (no coefficient = 1) Change coefficients to make copies of molecules to even out the elements **do NOT change subscripts!**

Tips and Tricks Focus on 1 element at a time Increase the side with less Re-count every time you make a change Coefficients apply to the whole molecule, so multiple elements might change!