Question

What is a chemical equation? Why is it necessary to balance it ?

Answer 1

Chemical equations are symbolic representations of chemical reactions that express the reactants and products in terms of their chemical formulae. Example: burning of coal in air Coal + Oxygen → Carbon dioxide $C\left(s\right)$ + $O_2$(g) → ${CO}_2$(g) [1 Mark]

According to the law of conservation of mass, “matter can neither be created nor destroyed”. Thus, a chemical equation must always be balanced. [1 Mark]