Question

what is the balanced chemical equation for cellular respiration?

Explanation:

Cellular respiration is a process in biology (subfield of Natural Science) where glucose and oxygen are converted to carbon dioxide, water, and energy (ATP). The balanced chemical equation accounts for the conservation of mass, so the number of each atom on the reactant and product sides must be equal. The reactants are glucose ($\ce{C6H12O6}$) and oxygen ($\ce{O2}$), and the products are carbon dioxide ($\ce{CO2}$), water ($\ce{H2O}$), and energy. Balancing the equation: for carbon, 6 in glucose means 6 $\ce{CO2}$; for hydrogen, 12 in glucose means 6 $\ce{H2O}$ (since each $\ce{H2O}$ has 2 H, 62=12); for oxygen, reactants have 6 (from glucose) + 12 (from 6 $\ce{O2}$, since 62=12) = 18, products have 62 (from $\ce{CO2}$) + 61 (from $\ce{H2O}$) = 12 + 6 = 18, so the balanced equation is $\ce{C6H12O6 + 6O2 -> 6CO2 + 6H2O + ATP}$ (energy).

Answer:

$\ce{C6H12O6 + 6O2 -> 6CO2 + 6H2O + ATP}$