To balance the chemical equation for the reaction of magnesium (Mg) with oxygen (O₂) to form magnesium oxide (MgO), we need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation.
The unbalanced equation is:
\[ __ \text{Mg} + __ \text{O}_2 \rightarrow __ \text{MgO} \]
- In the reaction, one magnesium atom will react with half a molecule of oxygen to form one molecule of magnesium oxide.
- Since O₂ has two oxygen atoms, we will need two magnesium atoms to react completely with it.
The balanced equation is:
\[ 2 \text{Mg} + 1 \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{MgO} \]
So, the filled-in blanks are:
\[ \underline{2} \text{Mg} + \underline{1} \text{O}_2 \rightarrow \underline{2} \text{MgO} \]
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