Chemical Equation Balancer

Chemical Equation Balancer

Why Balance Chemical Equations?

Balancing chemical equations is a fundamental principle in chemistry that satisfies the Law of Conservation of Mass. This law states that in an isolated system, mass is neither created nor destroyed by chemical reactions or physical transformations.

An unbalanced equation, like H2 + O2 = H2O, is chemically incorrect because it shows two atoms of oxygen on the reactant (left) side but only one on the product (right) side. This would imply an atom of oxygen simply vanished, which is impossible.

The balanced equation, 2 H2 + O2 = 2 H2O, correctly shows that two molecules of hydrogen react with one molecule of oxygen to produce two molecules of water. By doing this, we now have 4 hydrogen atoms and 2 oxygen atoms on both sides, and mass is conserved.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do the numbers (coefficients) mean?

The large numbers in front of the formulas (e.g., the 2 in 2 H2O) are called stoichiometric coefficients. They represent the molar ratio of the substances. It means "2 moles of water" or "2 molecules of water." If there is no number, a coefficient of 1 is implied.

What if my equation won't balance?

If this tool (or you) can't balance an equation, it usually means one of two things: 1) There is a typo in a chemical formula (e.g., you wrote NaCL instead of NaCl), or 2) The reaction as written is not a valid chemical process (e.g., the reactants cannot possibly form the products shown).

What does (aq), (s), (l), (g) mean?

Those are state symbols and are not required for balancing, so this calculator ignores them. They represent: (aq) aqueous/dissolved in water, (s) solid, (l) liquid, and (g) gas.

How does this calculator work?

This tool parses your equation into its individual elements. It then sets up a system of linear equations, one for each element, to ensure the number of atoms is conserved. Finally, it uses a mathematical algorithm (Gaussian elimination) to solve this system and find the smallest integer coefficients that satisfy all equations.