Question

Write the balanced and informative chemical equation for the following

Magnesium ribbon burns in the air to produce magnesium oxide.

Answer 1

• Balanced equation: the chemical equation in which the number of atoms of each element on the reactant side as well as the product side is equal are known as a balanced equation.

Balancing the following chemical equation:

$\mathrm{Mg}+{\mathrm{O}}_2\to \mathrm{MgO}$

• Steps to balance the chemical equation:
• Count the number of atoms of each element on either side. Now first balance the compound with the maximum number of atoms
• A number of atoms of each element on the reactant side:

$\underset{\mathrm{magnesium}}{\mathrm{Mg}}=1\underset{\mathrm{oxygen}}{\mathrm{O}}=2$

• A number of atoms of each element on the product side:

$\underset{\mathrm{magnesium}}{\mathrm{Mg}}=1\underset{\mathrm{oxygen}}{\mathrm{O}}=1$

• As the number of oxygen is not equal on both the reactant and product sides so we will first balance oxygen by multiplying $\mathrm{MgO}$(magnesium oxide) by 2 on the product side. The reaction becomes:

$\mathrm{Mg}+{\mathrm{O}}_2\to 2\mathrm{MgO}$

Now balance magnesium atoms by multiplying magnesium on reactant side by 2. Equation becomes:

$2\mathrm{Mg}+{\mathrm{O}}_2\to 2\mathrm{MgO}$

Now the no. of atoms of each element are equal on both sides i.e.$\underset{\mathrm{magnesium}}{\mathrm{Mg}}=2\underset{\mathrm{oxygen}}{\mathrm{O}}=2$

Thus the following equation is balanced equation

$\underset{\mathrm{Magnesium}}{2\mathrm{Mg}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)}+\underset{\mathrm{Oxygen}}{{\mathrm{O}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)}\to \underset{\mathrm{Magnesium}\mathrm{oxide}}{2\mathrm{MgO}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)}$