How can you balance an equation with the hit and trial method? Explain with an example.
How can you balance an equation with the hit and trial method? Explain with an example.
Definition hit and trial method
This method is also called the trial and error method, or inspection method. In this method, the coefficient before the formulae or symbols of the reactants and products are adjusted in such a way that the total number of atoms of each element only on both sides becomes equal. This is called a material balance, or mass balance.
In this method, the equation is balanced by trial and error methods. There are no definite rules to balance the equation but simple guessing. Generally hit and trial method is applicable for simple chemical reactions.
The following steps should be noted while balancing a chemical equation:
- The atom which occurs at a minimum number of places on both sides should be selected first and the one occurring a maximum number of times should be taken last. Let’s illustrate this by the following equation:
ELEMENTS NO. OF ATOMS ON THE REACTANT SIDE NO. OF ATOMS ON THE PRODUCT SIDE Na 1 1 H 2 3 O 1 1
- Each element, sodium, and oxygen is in the same number on both the product and reactant side, but there is two hydrogen atom on the reactant side while on the product side there is three. So let’s try to balance the number of hydrogen atoms.
- If we multiply by 2 in L.H.S, then the number of hydrogen becomes 4, and that of oxygen becomes 2.
- on the product side, if we also multiply byby 2, then total hydrogen becomes 4 and oxygen becomes 2.
- So hydrogen and oxygen on both sides become equal, i.e balanced.
- However, while multiplying on the product side by 2, the number of becomes 2 on the product side, but it is only one on the reactant side. So, to balance this, we again multiply Na on the reactant side by two, so that an overall number of atoms of the element becomes equal.
ELEMENTS NO. OF ATOMS ON THE REACTANT SIDE NO. OF ATOMS ON THE PRODUCT SIDE Na 2 2 H 4 4 O 2 2
So, the final balanced chemical equation becomes,
Definition hit and trial method
This method is also called the trial and error method, or inspection method. In this method, the coefficient before the formulae or symbols of the reactants and products are adjusted in such a way that the total number of atoms of each element only on both sides becomes equal. This is called a material balance, or mass balance.
In this method, the equation is balanced by trial and error methods. There are no definite rules to balance the equation but simple guessing. Generally hit and trial method is applicable for simple chemical reactions.
The following steps should be noted while balancing a chemical equation:
- The atom which occurs at a minimum number of places on both sides should be selected first and the one occurring a maximum number of times should be taken last. Let’s illustrate this by the following equation:
| ELEMENTS | NO. OF ATOMS ON THE REACTANT SIDE | NO. OF ATOMS ON THE PRODUCT SIDE |
| Na | 1 | 1 |
| H | 2 | 3 |
| O | 1 | 1 |
- Each element, sodium, and oxygen is in the same number on both the product and reactant side, but there is two hydrogen atom on the reactant side while on the product side there is three. So let’s try to balance the number of hydrogen atoms.
- If we multiply by 2 in L.H.S, then the number of hydrogen becomes 4, and that of oxygen becomes 2.
- on the product side, if we also multiply byby 2, then total hydrogen becomes 4 and oxygen becomes 2.
- So hydrogen and oxygen on both sides become equal, i.e balanced.
- However, while multiplying on the product side by 2, the number of becomes 2 on the product side, but it is only one on the reactant side. So, to balance this, we again multiply Na on the reactant side by two, so that an overall number of atoms of the element becomes equal.
| ELEMENTS | NO. OF ATOMS ON THE REACTANT SIDE | NO. OF ATOMS ON THE PRODUCT SIDE |
| Na | 2 | 2 |
| H | 4 | 4 |
| O | 2 | 2 |
So, the final balanced chemical equation becomes,
