Question

balance the following chemical equation

2Agsmall2O>____Ag+____Osmall2

Answer 1

To balance the chemical equation for the decomposition of silver(I) oxide (Ag₂O), you want to ensure that the number of each type of atom is the same on both sides of the equation.

The unbalanced equation is:

\[ 2 \text{Ag}_2\text{O} \rightarrow \text{Ag} + \text{O}_2 \]

### Step 1: Count the atoms on both sides
- **Left side (reactants)**:
- Ag: 2 x 2 = 4
- O: 2 x 1 = 2

- **Right side (products)**:
- Ag: 1 (yet to be determined)
- O: 2 (in \(\text{O}_2\))

### Step 2: Write the balanced equation
To balance the silver (Ag) atoms, we will need 4 Ag atoms on the right side. Therefore, we place a coefficient of 4 in front of Ag:

\[ 2 \text{Ag}_2\text{O} \rightarrow 4 \text{Ag} + \text{O}_2 \]

### Step 3: Confirm the atom balance
Now we check the counts again:
- **Left side**:
- Ag: 4
- O: 2

- **Right side**:
- Ag: 4
- O: 2

### Final Balanced Equation
The balanced equation is:

\[ 2 \text{Ag}_2\text{O} \rightarrow 4 \text{Ag} + \text{O}_2 \]

This equation correctly represents the conservation of mass, with the same number of each type of atom on both sides.