Question

Balance the following the chemical equation:

Answer 1

To balance a chemical equation, we need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation.

Here is the equation to be balanced:

Fe + HCl → FeCl3 + H2

To balance this equation, we can follow these steps:

1. Count the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation:
Fe: 1 on the left, 1 on the right
H: 1 on the left, 2 on the right
Cl: 1 on the left, 3 on the right

2. Begin by balancing the atoms that appear in the fewest compounds or are unique to one compound.

Since Fe appears in only one compound on each side of the equation, we can balance it first.

Fe + HCl → FeCl3 + H2

3. Balance the chlorine (Cl) atoms next.

Fe + HCl → FeCl3 + H2

There are 3 chlorine atoms on the right side, but only 1 on the left. To balance this, we can add a coefficient of 3 in front of HCl:

Fe + 3HCl → FeCl3 + H2

4. Finally, balance the hydrogen (H) atoms.

Fe + 3HCl → FeCl3 + 3H2

Now, all the elements are balanced, with:
Fe: 1 on both sides
H: 3 on both sides
Cl: 3 on both sides

Therefore, the balanced chemical equation is:
Fe + 3HCl → FeCl3 + 3H2