Answer:
2 Al + 3 CuSO4 - 1 Al2(SO4)3 + 3 Cu
Explanation:
Balancing Chemical Equations
What I like to do to balance a chemical equation is to make a table containing all the elements and the numbers of each atom in the reactant and product side.
Rea Elem Prod
[tex]\begin{array}{ccc}1&Cu&1\\1&S&3\\1&Al&2\\4&O&12\\\end{array}[/tex]
Now you simply multiply each side by the number that will equalize each other. So the goal is reactant = products. But be careful that since some of the substances are molecules, multiplying one atom may change the content of the others, like oxygen multplying by 3 to make 12 will change the content of S and Cu because of the CuSO4 molecule.
Rea Elem Prod
[tex]\begin{array}{ccc}1- > 3&Cu&1*3=3\\1 - > 3&S&3\\1*2 = 2&Al&2\\4*3=12&O&12\\\end{array}[/tex]
Now here if you multiply O by 3, you get 12 just like the product, but since on the reactant side you have CuSO4, the Sulfur atom will be multiplied by 3 too. Same thing for Cu. But now since the reactant Cu has turned into 3, you multiply the product Cu by 3 since 1*3 = 3. Essentially whatever number you multiply the atom with will become your coefficient.
So multplying on the reactant side the O by 3 which contains Cu and S will result in the coefficient being 3. Multiplying the the Al by 2 on the reactant side will result in the coefficient being 2. Multiplying the Cu on the product side by 3 will result in the coefficient being 3. The rest is 1.
So the balanced equation will be
2 Al + 3 CuSO4 - 1 Al2(SO4)3 + 3 Cu
