Potassium forms an oxide containing 1 oxygen atom for every 2 atoms of potassium. what is the coefficient of oxygen in the balanced equation for the reaction of potassium with oxygen to form this oxide?

Potassium is an element with a symbol of K. When it forms an oxide, it means that it has undergone combustion. The complete reaction for this is

K + O₂ ⇒ K₂O

This is a combination reaction which involves two reactants and one single product. It is important to note that the Law of Conservation of Mass mass be obeyed at all times. Technically, the law involved in balancing reactions is the Law of Definite Proportions. This is obeyed by making sure that the number of a specific element is the same before and after the reaction. So, the complete balanced reaction for this is

2 K + 1/2 O₂ ⇒ K₂O

The coefficient of O₂ in the reaction is 1/2.