Which of the following describes what it means for a chemical equation to be balanced? A. it has the same type of atoms on both sides in the same order. B. it has the same number of atoms on both sides for each specific type of atom. C. it has the same number of molecules on both sides for each specific type of molecule. D. it has the same type of molecules on both sides in the same order.

Question

Which of the following describes what it means for a chemical equation to be balanced?  A. it has the same type of atoms on both sides in the same order.  B. it has the same number of atoms on both sides for each specific type of atom.  C. it has the same number of molecules on both sides for each specific type of molecule.  D. it has the same type of molecules on both sides in the same order.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The correct answer is: **B. it has the same number of atoms on both sides for each specific type of atom.** A balanced chemical equation ensures that the law of conservation of mass is satisfied, meaning the total number of each type of atom must be the same on both sides of the equation.