Sure, let's balance the chemical equation step-by-step.
We are given the unbalanced chemical equation:
[tex]\[ \square \text{Mg} + \square \text{O}_2 \rightarrow \square \text{MgO} \][/tex]
We need to balance it so that there are equal numbers of each type of atom on both sides of the equation.
1. Write down the number of each type of atom present in the reactants and products:
Reactants:
- Mg = ?
- O = ?
Products:
- Mg = ?
- O = ?
2. Assume coefficients for Mg, O2, and MgO:
[tex]\[ a \text{ Mg} + b \text{ O}_2 \rightarrow c \text{ MgO} \][/tex]
3. Balance magnesium (Mg) atoms:
- There is [tex]\(a\)[/tex] Mg on the left side.
- There is [tex]\(c\)[/tex] Mg on the right side.
To balance magnesium, set [tex]\(a\)[/tex] equal to [tex]\(c\)[/tex]:
- [tex]\(a = c = 2\)[/tex]
4. Balance oxygen (O) atoms:
- There are [tex]\(2b\)[/tex] O atoms from [tex]\(O_2\)[/tex] on the left side.
- There are [tex]\(c\)[/tex] O atoms from [tex]\(MgO\)[/tex] on the right side.
To balance oxygen, set [tex]\(2b\)[/tex] equal to [tex]\(c\)[/tex]:
- [tex]\(2b = 2\)[/tex]
- [tex]\(b = 1\)[/tex]
So the coefficients are:
- [tex]\(a = 2\)[/tex]
- [tex]\(b = 1\)[/tex]
- [tex]\(c = 2\)[/tex]
Thus, the balanced chemical equation is:
[tex]\[ 2 \text{Mg} + 1 \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{MgO} \][/tex]
With coefficients:
- Magnesium ([tex]\(\text{Mg}\)[/tex]): 2
- Oxygen gas ([tex]\(\text{O}_2\)[/tex]): 1
- Magnesium oxide ([tex]\(\text{MgO}\)[/tex]): 2
