Balance the following the chemical equation:
MgO + CaS → MgS + CaO
MgO + CaS → MgS + CaO
To balance the equation, we need to make sure there are an equal number of each element on both sides of the equation. Let's start with the elements that appear in just one compound on each side: Mg, Ca, and O.
There is 1 Mg on both sides, so that is already balanced.
There is 1 Ca on both sides, so that is already balanced.
There is 1 O in MgO and 1 O in CaO, so that is already balanced.
Now, let's focus on the Sulfur (S) element.
There is 1 S in CaS and 1 S in MgS, so that is already balanced.
Therefore, the equation is already balanced as it is written:
MgO + CaS → MgS + CaO
To balance the chemical equation:
MgO + CaS → MgS + CaO
First, let's balance the elements that appear in multiple compounds.
Balance sulfur (S) by placing a coefficient of 1 in front of CaS:
MgO + 1CaS → MgS + CaO
Next, balance oxygen (O) by placing a coefficient of 1 in front of CaO:
MgO + 1CaS → MgS + 1CaO
Now, balance magnesium (Mg) by placing a coefficient of 1 in front of MgO and MgS:
1MgO + 1CaS → 1MgS + 1CaO
Finally, check for balanced elements:
Magnesium (Mg): 1 on both sides
Calcium (Ca): 1 on both sides
Sulfur (S): 1 on both sides
Oxygen (O): 1 on both sides
The balanced equation is:
MgO + CaS → MgS + CaO
To balance this chemical equation, we need to ensure that the number of each type of atom is the same on both sides of the equation.
Let's start by counting the number of each type of atom present in the unbalanced equation:
On the left side:
Mg: 1
O: 1
Ca: 1
S: 1
On the right side:
Mg: 1
S: 1
Ca: 1
O: 1
To balance the equation, we need to adjust the coefficients (the numbers in front of each compound) to make the number of atoms equal on both sides. Here's how we can do it:
MgO + CaS → MgS + CaO
Since there is only one oxygen atom on each side, we can leave that as it is.
Now, let's balance the magnesium (Mg) atoms:
We have one Mg on the left side and one on the right side. They are already balanced.
Next, we balance the sulfur (S) atoms:
We have one S on the left side and one on the right side. They are also balanced.
Lastly, let's balance the calcium (Ca) atoms:
We have one Ca on the left side and one on the right side. They are balanced as well.
So, the balanced equation is:
MgO + CaS → MgS + CaO