What is a balanced chemical equation ? Why should chemical equations be balanced ?

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A reaction which has an equal number of atoms of all the elements on both sides of the chemical equation is called a balanced chemical equation.

The law of conservation of mass states that mass can neither be created nor destroyed. Hence, in a chemical reaction, the total mass of reactants should be equal to the total mass of the products. It means that the total number of atoms of each element should be equal on both sides of a chemical equation. Hence, it is for this reason that chemical equations should be balanced.

Similar Questions

Identify the substances that are oxidised and the substances that are reduced in the following reactions.

$(i)$ $4 Na ( s )+ O _{2}( g ) \rightarrow 2 Na _{2} O ( s )$

$(ii)$ $CuO ( s )+ H _{2}( g ) \rightarrow Cu ( s )+ H _{2} O ( l )$

A solution of a substance $‘X’$ is used for whitewashing.

$(i)$ Name the substance $‘X’$ and write its formula.

$(ii)$ Write the reaction of the substance $‘X’$ named in $(i)$ above with water.

Which of the statements about the reaction below are incorrect ?

$2 PbO _{( s )}+ C _{( s )} \longrightarrow 2 Pb _{( s )}+ CO _{2( g )}$

$(a)$ Lead is getting reduced.

$(b)$ Carbon dioxide is getting oxidised.

$(c)$ Carbon is getting oxidised.

$(d)$ Lead oxide is getting reduced.

What is the difference between displacement and double displacement reactions ? Write equations for these reactions.

$Fe _{2} O _{3}+2 Al \rightarrow Al _{2} O _{3}+2 Fe$

The above reaction is an example of a