How do you balance chemical equations?

Hello! To balance a chemical reaction we need to ensure that there are the same number of atoms on the side of the reagents as on the side of the products. We can add numbers in front of the molecules to match the number of atoms. The numbers that are added to the left of the elements are called "coefficients"

The chemical equation needs to be balanced so that it follows the law of conservation of mass. A balanced chemical equation occurs when the number of the different atoms of elements in the reactants side is equal to that of the products side. Balancing chemical equations is a process of trial and error.