Question

When balancing a redox reaction, what are you balancing?

Answer 1

You are balancing both MASS and CHARGE.

Explanation:

Mass and charge are fundamental properties that are stoichiometrically balanced in every chemical reaction. Garbage out must equal garbage in.

We could take a simple example: `Cr^(3+)` is oxidized to `CrO_4^(2-)`

`Cr^(3+) +4H_2O(l) rarr CrO_4^(2-) + 8H^+ + 3e^-`

Is this balanced with respect to mass and charge? To where do the electrons go? What sort of redox reaction is this?