Test whether the following equation is balanced or not.
If not balance the above equation by hit and trial method.
Step 1: Unbalanced chemical equation
An unbalanced chemical equation is a chemical equation in which the count of atoms and molecules are dissimilar on both sides of reactions. The one method to balance these equations is the hit and trial method.
Step 2: Hit and trial method
In the hit and trial method, chemical equations are balanced by using the minimum value of the whole number coefficient. The count is calculated every time when any coefficient is added to any element and it is repeated till an equal count is obtained on both sides.
Step 3: Evaluating the count of atoms
The given equation is as follows:
Firstly, count the number of atoms on both sides of reactants and products. The given chemical equation is not balanced as it contains an unequal number of atoms for iron and oxygen.
Number of elements | In reactants | In products |
Fe | 2 | 1 |
C | 1 | 1 |
O | 4 | 2 |
Step 4: Balancing the chemical equation
Add 2 in front of the iron on the right-hand side to balance the reaction. There are four oxygen atoms on the reactant side; to balance the oxygen atoms on the product side, add 3 in front of carbon dioxide. Add 3 as a coefficient on the reactant side to balance the carbon atoms.
Hence, the balanced chemical equation is as follows: