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Chemistry

Why should an equation be balanced ? Explain with the help of a simple equation.

Chemical Equation

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Answer

An equation must be balanced in order to comply with the "Law of Conservation of Matter", which states that matter is neither created nor destroyed in the course of a chemical reaction. An unbalanced equation would imply that atoms have been created or destroyed.

For example, consider the following unbalanced equation:

KNO3 ⟶ KNO2 + O2

In this equation, there are 3 oxygen atoms on the left side, but 4 oxygen atoms on the right side. This means that the equation is not balanced and does not satisfy the law of conservation of mass.

The balanced form of the equation is:

2KNO3 ⟶ 2KNO2 + O2

Now there are 6 oxygen atoms on both the sides. This means that the law of conservation of mass is satisfied and the equation correctly represents the reaction.

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