Answer:
[tex]4 Fe + 3 O_2 \rightarrow 2 Fe_2 O_3[/tex]
Explanation:
The original equation is:
[tex]Fe + O_2 \rightarrow Fe_2 O_3[/tex]
We notice that:
- we have 1 atom of Fe on the left, and 2 atoms of Fe on the right
- we have 2 atoms of O on the left, and 3 atoms of O on the right
Therefore, the equation is not balanced.
In order to balance it, we can add:
- a coefficient 3 in front of [tex]O_2[/tex]
- a coefficient 2 in front of [tex]Fe_2 O_3[/tex]
So we have:
[tex]Fe + 3 O_2 \rightarrow 2Fe_2O_3[/tex]
Now the oxygen is balanced, but the iron it not balanced yet, since we have 1 Fe on the left and 4 on the right. Therefore, we should add a coefficient 4 on the Fe on the left:
[tex]4 Fe + 3 O_2 \rightarrow 2 Fe_2 O_3[/tex]
