Question

quiz : balancing chemical reactions
balance the following reaction (enter the coefficients)

h₂o → h₂ + o₂

Explanation:

Step1: Balance oxygen atoms

Let the coefficients be \(a\), \(b\), \(c\) for \(H_2O\), \(H_2\), \(O_2\) respectively. The reaction is \(aH_2O
ightarrow bH_2 + cO_2\). For oxygen atoms: \(a = 2c\).

Step2: Balance hydrogen atoms

For hydrogen atoms: \(2a=2b\), so \(a = b\). Let \(c = 1\), then \(a=2\) (from oxygen balance), and \(b = 2\) (from hydrogen balance).

Answer:

\(2H_2O
ightarrow 2H_2+1O_2\)