Can the formulae of the reactants and products be altered in balancing a chemical equation?

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Solution

Law of constant proportion
According to this law, the chemical formulae of a compound is universally fixed. It can't be changed.
Method for balancing chemical equation
The coefficients which are present before the formulae of the reactants and the products, they need to be adjusted in such a manner that the total number of atoms on both the reactants and products sides become equal.
Hence, no, the formulae of the reactants and products can not be altered in balancing a chemical equation.

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Similar questions

Differentiate between :

(a) Reactants and products.

(b) A balanced and an unnbalanced chemical equation.

Q. State whether the following statement is true or false:
A chemical equation can be balanced easily by altering the formula of a reactant or product.

Q. Only gaseous reactants and products must be balanced in a chemical equation.

All chemical changes are accompanied by chemical reactions. These reactions are described in sentence form with the help of chemical equations in terms of symbols and formulae of substances involved. Initially, the equation is in a skeletal form which is then balanced so that the total number of reactant species is the same as that of product species.

Can a chemical formula be changed during the balancing of the equation?

state whether the following statement is true or false:-

"chemical equations can be balanced easily by altering the formulae of the substances evolved"

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