How do you balance chemical equations?
Example question: _H2O --> _O2 + _H2 First, work out how many of each element you have on each side. For example in this equation, Left: 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen Right: 2 hydrogen and 2 oxygen We can therefore see that the hydrogens balance. There are twice as many oxygens on the right, so we need to divide it by 2. This leaves : H2O --> 1/2 O2 + H2 The equation now balances. It is also possible to times the whole equation by 2 to get rid of the fraction. 2 H2O --> O2 + 2 H2
