Balancing Equations

A chemical equation must be balanced before useful quantitative information is obtainable about the reactants and products of a chemical reaction. Balanced chemical equations show the relative amounts of reactants and the products, ensuring that the same number of atoms of each element appear on both sides of the equation, hence adhering to the law of conservation of matter. Many equations can be balanced by simple trial and error, yet some are more trivial than others. This module simulates the actual balancing of a chemical reaction. By simply clicking on the left or right mouse button, the atoms increase or decrease, respectively, for a specific element in the equation until completely balanced. (Mac users hold down the command key while clicking to simulate right mouse button clicks.)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Select a reaction from the reaction menu.
2. Try to balance it by clicking the mouse over the coefficients. Left click increases the coefficient by one while a right click decrements it. Mac users hold down the command key while clicking to simulate right mouse button clicks.
3. Once you succesfully balance it a window should pop-up with a short movie illustrating the reaction you just balanced. (This may not appear if the requisite Java support is missing)