What is a Balanced Chemical Equation?
A balanced chemical equation is a chemical equation in which the number of atoms of each element is equal on both the reactant and product sides.
Example:
H2 + O2 → H2O ❌(Unbalanced)
2H2 + O2 → 2H2O ✅(Balanced)
Why Should Chemical Equations Be Balanced?
Chemical equations must be balanced to obey the Law of Conservation of Mass, which states that:
“Mass can neither be created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction.”
This means the total number of atoms of each element must be same before and after the reaction.