To balance the equation \( \text{Mg} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow \text{MgO} \), we start with the unbalanced equation and count the number of each atom on both sides.
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On the left side:
- 1 Magnesium (Mg)
- 2 Oxygen (O) (from \( \text{O}_2 \))
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On the right side:
- 1 Magnesium (Mg)
- 1 Oxygen (O)
To balance oxygen, we need 2 oxygen atoms on the right side. This means we need 2 \( \text{MgO} \) on the product side. So we rewrite the equation as:
\[ \text{Mg} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2\text{MgO} \]
Now, on the right side, we have:
- 2 Magnesium (Mg)
- 2 Oxygen (O)
Thus, we need to also have 2 magnesium atoms on the left side. Therefore, we write:
\[ 2\text{Mg} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2\text{MgO} \]
Now we have:
- Left Side: 2 Mg, 2 O
- Right Side: 2 Mg, 2 O
This equation is balanced.
So the correct answer is:
2Mg + O2 → 2MgO
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