Balanced chemical equation for H2O + SO2 --> O3 + H2S + SO3?
6H2O+ 9SO2 >>>6H2S + 3SO3 + 5 O3
To balance this chemical equation, we need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation. Here's how you can balance the given equation step by step:
1. Start by counting the number of atoms for each element on both sides of the equation:
On the left side: 2 hydrogen atoms (2H) and 3 oxygen atoms (1O from H2O and 2O from SO2)
On the right side: 2 hydrogen atoms (2H), 4 oxygen atoms (3O from O3 and 1O from SO3), and 1 sulfur atom (1S from H2S and SO3)
2. Begin by balancing the elements that appear in only one compound on each side. In this case, we start with the sulfur (S) element:
On the left side: 1 sulfur atom (1S)
On the right side: 1 sulfur atom (1S)
3. Next, balance the oxygen (O) atoms. You'll notice that the oxygen atoms are not balanced. Since the oxygen atoms in the reactant SO2 match the oxygen atoms in the products, we can focus on the oxygen from H2O and O3:
On the left side: 3 oxygen atoms (from H2O)
On the right side: 9 oxygen atoms (3 from O3 and 6 from SO3)
4. To balance the number of oxygen atoms, we need to add a coefficient to H2O and O3. Let's balance the oxygen atoms by adding a coefficient of 3 in front of H2O and a coefficient of 3 in front of O3:
The updated equation becomes: 3H2O + SO2 → 3O3 + H2S + SO3
5. Finally, count the hydrogen (H) atoms on both sides and ensure they are balanced:
On the left side: 6 hydrogen atoms (3 x 2 from H2O)
On the right side: 6 hydrogen atoms (from H2S)
Since all elements are now balanced on both sides of the equation, the balanced chemical equation is:
3H2O + SO2 → 3O3 + H2S + SO3