Balance the following the chemical equation:

Na2O + _ CaBr2 → _ NaBr + _ CaO

2:1:1:1
1:1:1:2
1:2:1:1
1:1:2:1

1 answer

To balance the chemical equation \( \text{Na}_2\text{O} + \text{CaBr}_2 \rightarrow \text{NaBr} + \text{CaO} \), we will assign coefficients to each compound and balance the equation step by step.

  1. Start with the unbalanced equation: \[ \text{Na}_2\text{O} + \text{CaBr}_2 \rightarrow \text{NaBr} + \text{CaO} \]

  2. Count the number of atoms of each element on both sides:

    • Left side:

      • Na: 2 (from \(\text{Na}_2\text{O}\))
      • O: 1 (from \(\text{Na}_2\text{O}\))
      • Ca: 1 (from \(\text{CaBr}_2\))
      • Br: 2 (from \(\text{CaBr}_2\))
    • Right side:

      • Na: 1 (from \(\text{NaBr}\))
      • O: 1 (from \(\text{CaO}\))
      • Ca: 1 (from \(\text{CaO}\))
      • Br: 1 (from \(\text{NaBr}\))
  3. To balance sodium (Na), we place a coefficient of 2 before NaBr: \[ \text{Na}_2\text{O} + \text{CaBr}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{NaBr} + \text{CaO} \]

  4. Now, count again:

    • Left side:

      • Na: 2
      • O: 1
      • Ca: 1
      • Br: 2
    • Right side:

      • Na: 2 (from \(2\text{NaBr}\))
      • O: 1 (from \(\text{CaO}\))
      • Ca: 1
      • Br: 2 (from \(2\text{NaBr}\))
  5. All the elements are now balanced: \[ \text{Na}_2\text{O} + \text{CaBr}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{NaBr} + \text{CaO} \]

Thus, the coefficients are:

  • Na2O: 1
  • CaBr2: 1
  • NaBr: 2
  • CaO: 1

The balanced equation is:

1:1:2:1

So the correct answer is: 1:1:2:1.