Make the teaching of this topic easy with these simple steps to success, confidence and fluency

See more resources in
Balanced chemical equations

A series of chemical equations as the number of atoms are balanced on each side for carbon plus oxygen creates carbon monoxide

Source: © Dan Bright

Chemists communicate what is happening in chemical reactions using symbol equations. These are more visual than word equations and give more information. Using recognised chemical symbols and formulas means that speakers of different languages can all understand the symbol equation.

Download this

Download all
  • Balancing equations index image

    Infographic poster and fact sheet

    Display the poster in your classroom or on a projector. Alternatively print it and use as a handout. Share the fact sheet with learners and challenge them to practise balancing equations (answers included).

View and download more infographics

A word equation for Carbon plus oxygen creates carbon monoxide

Source: © Dan Bright

Word equations show us what substances combine in a reaction, but they don’t give us much more information and speakers of other languages can’t access them

A balanced symbol equation is a concise illustration of the law of conservation of mass. The law of conservation of mass states that no atoms are made or destroyed during a chemical reaction (or physical change). Put simply, the number of atoms of each element in the reactants (on the left side of the equation) must equal the number of atoms of each element in the products (on the right side of the equation).

This equation is unbalanced:

An unbalanced equation using balls to demonstrate a single Carbon atom plus two oxygen atoms in oxygen gas creates one molecule of carbon monoxide

 Reactants Products
1x C 1x C
2x O 1x O

 

Balancing chemical equations is easy with this step-by-step approach and two simple rules. The simple rules are:

  1. Do add multipliers before a formula. The multiplier applies to the whole formula.
  2. Don’t change the formulas.

Step-by-step approach to balancing equations

This unbalanced equation shows 2 oxygen atoms (O) on the left and only 1 on the right:

An unbalanced equation using balls to demonstrate a single Carbon atom plus two oxygen atoms in oxygen gas creates one molecule of carbon monoxide

Adding 2 on the right balances O. It also doubles the carbon (C) in the formula:

An unbalanced equation using balls to demonstrate a single Carbon atom plus two oxygen atoms in oxygen gas creates two molecules of carbon monoxide

Adding 2 on the left in front of the C in the formula balances the equation:

A balanced equation using balls to demonstrate two Carbon atoms plus two oxygen atoms in oxygen gas creates two molecules of carbon monoxide

All images © Dan Bright

Downloads

Download all
ExploreResources14–16 yearsQuantitative chemistry

Balanced chemical equations

In Quantitative chemistry
Explore 16 more topic overview resources
VIEW ALL RESOURCES
Kristy Turner is a school teacher fellow at University of Manchester/Bolton School, UKView full profile

More Kristy Turner

Topics