To balance the chemical equation \( 2 \text{Ag}_2\text{O} \rightarrow __ \text{Ag} + __ \text{O}_2 \), follow these steps:
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Count the number of each type of atom on both sides of the equation.
- On the left side (reactants), we have:
- Silver (Ag): \( 2 \times 2 = 4 \) atoms
- Oxygen (O): \( 2 \) atoms
- On the right side (products), we currently have:
- Silver (Ag): \( 0 \) atoms
- Oxygen (O): \( 0 \) atoms
- On the left side (reactants), we have:
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Start by balancing the silver (Ag) atoms.
- Since there are 4 Ag on the left, place a coefficient of 4 in front of Ag on the right:
- \( \rightarrow 4 \text{Ag} + __ \text{O}_2 \)
- Since there are 4 Ag on the left, place a coefficient of 4 in front of Ag on the right:
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Now, balance the oxygen (O) atoms.
- There are 2 O on the left. Since \( \text{O}_2 \) contains 2 O, you need a coefficient of 1 in front of \( \text{O}_2 \):
- \( \rightarrow 4 \text{Ag} + 1 \text{O}_2 \)
- There are 2 O on the left. Since \( \text{O}_2 \) contains 2 O, you need a coefficient of 1 in front of \( \text{O}_2 \):
Putting it all together, the balanced equation is:
\[ 2 \text{Ag}_2\text{O} \rightarrow 4 \text{Ag} + 1 \text{O}_2 \]
So the final answer is:
\[ 2 \text{Ag}_2\text{O} \rightarrow 4 \text{Ag} + 1 \text{O}_2 \]