Question

Explain the shortcut technique of balancing the equation.

Answer 1

Steps to balance an equation:
Go by this method first. In general, to balance an equation, here are the things we need to do:
Count the atoms of each element in the reactants and the products.
Use coefficients, place them in front of the compounds as needed.
The steps are simple, but it is a process of trial and error. Let's take a look at a few more example equations and techniques that can be used to balance each one.
Example 1
This is a reaction between methane ($C{H}_4$) and oxygen ($O_2$), producing carbon dioxide ($C{O}_2$) and water ($H_{2}O$).
Balancing chemical equation example 1
The reaction shown is a combustion reaction: a compound reacts with oxygen and produces carbon dioxide and water. The technique is to balance the carbon © atoms first, then the hydrogen (H) atoms, and then the oxygen (O) atoms.
In this case, the carbon © atoms are already balanced. So now we look at the hydrogen (H) atoms. There are 4 hydrogen (H) atoms on the reactants side and 2 hydrogen (H) atoms on the products side. To balance them, we put a coefficient of 2 in front of $H_{2}O$.
The hydrogen (H) atoms are now balanced. Due to the coefficient 2 in front of $H_{2}O$, there are a total of 4 oxygen (O) atoms on the products side. To balance the oxygen atoms on both sides, we put a coefficient of 2 in front of $O_2$. The chemical equation is now balanced.