Alright, let's tackle balancing the given chemical equation step by step.
The unbalanced equation provided is:
[tex]\[ 2 \text{Mg} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{MgO} \][/tex]
To balance a chemical equation, we need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element on the reactant side is equal to the number of atoms on the product side.
### Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Step 1: Analyze the given unbalanced equation.
[tex]\[ 2 \text{Mg} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{MgO} \][/tex]
- On the left (reactant) side:
- We have [tex]\(2\)[/tex] Magnesium (Mg) atoms.
- We have [tex]\(2\)[/tex] Oxygen (O) atoms (since [tex]\(\text{O}_2\)[/tex] has 2 atoms of Oxygen).
- On the right (product) side:
- We have [tex]\(2\)[/tex] Magnesium (Mg) atoms (since [tex]\(2\)[/tex] [tex]\(\text{MgO}\)[/tex] has [tex]\(2 \times 1 = 2\)[/tex] Magnesium atoms).
- We have [tex]\(2\)[/tex] Oxygen (O) atoms (since [tex]\(2\)[/tex] [tex]\(\text{MgO}\)[/tex] has [tex]\(2 \times 1 = 2\)[/tex] Oxygen atoms).
2. Step 2: Verify the balance of each element in the equation.
- The number of Magnesium (Mg) atoms on both sides is [tex]\(2\)[/tex].
- The number of Oxygen (O) atoms on both sides is [tex]\(2\)[/tex].
Since the number of atoms for each element on both sides of the equation is already equal, the equation is balanced.
### Final Balanced Equation:
[tex]\[
2 \text{Mg} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{MgO}
\][/tex]
No changes are needed, and this equation shows the smallest possible whole number coefficients that balance the equation.
