To balance the chemical equation \( \text{Mg} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow \text{MgO} \), follow these steps:
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Identify the number of atoms of each element in the reactants and products.
- On the left side, there are 1 magnesium (Mg) atom and 2 oxygen (O) atoms (from \( O_2 \)).
- On the right side, there is 1 magnesium (Mg) atom and 1 oxygen (O) atom (from \( \text{MgO} \)).
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Balance the oxygen atoms:
- To have 2 oxygen atoms on the product side, you can place a coefficient of 2 in front of \( \text{MgO} \): \[ \text{Mg} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{MgO} \]
- Now, the right side has 2 oxygen atoms (from \( 2 \text{MgO} \)).
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Balance the magnesium atoms:
- Since you now have 2 magnesium atoms on the right side, place a coefficient of 2 in front of \( \text{Mg} \): \[ 2 \text{Mg} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{MgO} \]
The balanced equation is: \[ \boxed{2 \text{Mg} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{MgO}} \]