To balance the chemical equation for the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen to form water, we need to ensure that there are equal numbers of each type of atom on both sides of the equation.
The unbalanced equation is:
\[ \text{H}_2 + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow \text{H}_2\text{O} \]
Breaking it down:
- On the left, there are 2 hydrogen (H) atoms and 2 oxygen (O) atoms from \(O_2\).
- On the right, there are 2 hydrogen atoms (from \(H_2O\)) and only 1 oxygen atom.
To balance, we can adjust the coefficients as follows:
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We need 2 water molecules to have enough oxygen atoms. Thus, we write \(2\) in front of \(H_2O\): \[ \text{H}_2 + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2\text{H}_2\text{O} \]
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Now, we have 4 hydrogen atoms on the right. Thus, we write \(2\) in front of \(H_2\) on the left to balance the hydrogen: \[ 2\text{H}_2 + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2\text{H}_2\text{O} \]
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Now check the oxygen:
- The left side has 2 oxygen atoms (from \(O_2\)).
- The right side has 2 oxygen atoms (from \(2H_2O\)).
The fully balanced equation is: \[ \boxed{2}\text{H}_2 + \boxed{1}\text{O}_2 \rightarrow \boxed{2}\text{H}_2\text{O} \]
So, the coefficients are:
- For \(H_2\): 2
- For \(O_2\): 1
- For \(H_2O\): 2