Balancing Chemical Equations — Quiz

Question 1 • Physical Science

Akia is balancing the equation Na plus cap h sub 2 cap o rightarrow NaOH plus cap h sub 2 He tries to find the coefficients that will balance the equation. How could he find the correct coefficients?

Answer

by counting the total atoms and making sure the number of atoms in the reactants is the same as the number of atoms in the products

by counting each individual atom and making sure the number of each kind of atom is the same in the reactants and the products

by counting the mass of each atom and making sure the reactants are more massive than the products

by counting the total mass of each compound and making sure the reactants have more mass than the products

Explanation

To balance a chemical equation, count each kind of atom separately and adjust the coefficients until every element has the same number of atoms on both sides. For this equation, the balanced form is 2Na + 2H₂O → 2NaOH + H₂, with two sodium, four hydrogen, and two oxygen atoms on each side. The total number of atoms does not have to stay the same, so choice C is not the right rule.

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