Sally was given the following equation to balance: H2O → H2 + O2. She balanced it as follows: 2 HO → H2 + O2. What did she do wrong? What is the correct way to balance the equation?
Question
Sally was given the following equation to balance: H2O → H2 + O2. She balanced it as follows: 2 HO → H2 + O2. What did she do wrong? What is the correct way to balance the equation?
Solution
Sally made a mistake by breaking up the H2O molecule into 2 separate HO molecules. In chemical equations, we cannot break molecules down in this way.
The correct way to balance the equation is to ensure that there is the same number of each type of atom on both sides of the equation.
The correct balanced equation is: 2 H2O → 2 H2 + O2.
This way, there are 4 hydrogen atoms and 2 oxygen atoms on both sides of the equation.
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