Chapter 4

Lesson 4.5 – Balancing Chemical

Equations
Balancing chemical
equations
 Balancing chemical
Many equations
chemical Methane in natural
reactions take place gas is used in our
in our daily lives. One
fuel in our gas
way to show the
changes in a reaction stoves.
is to describe which Methane + Oxygen
substances react and -> Carbon dioxide +
what products are water
formed. We can use
 Balancing chemical
A chemical equations
equation
shows what happens in a
chemical reaction.
It tells us:
 Which reactants and
products are involved
in the reaction
 The relative amounts of
the reactants and
products
 The physical states of
the reactants and
 Writing balanced Equations
In a mathematical equation, the values on
the left-hand side must be equal to the
values on the right-hand side. They must
balance. The same goes for a chemical
equation.
 Writing balanced Equations
A balanced chemical equation must contain
an equal number of atoms of each element
on both sides of the equation. A balanced
chemical equation should consist of the
following components.
 Step by step
Step 1 – Write down the
chemical formulae of the
reactants and products to get
the chemical equation.
 Step by step
Step 2 – Check the number of
atoms of each element in the
formulae on both sides of the
equation.
If the equation is not
balanced, proceed to step 3.
 Step by step
Step 3 – Balance the equations.
• To balance the number of
oxygen atoms, put a “2” in front
of H2O. This means that two
molecules of water are formed.
• The equation is still not
balanced because there are four
hydrogen atoms on the right-
hand side and only two on the
left-hand side.
• To balance the equation, we
 Step by step

Step 4 – Add the state

symbols to indicate the
physical state of each
reactant and product.
Let’s Anwer!
A. Balance the following
equations.
Let’s Check!
A. Balance the following
equations.