Question

Is the following chemical equation balanced? `2Al + 30_2 -> 2Al_2O_3`?

Answer 1

If you come into my shop and you receive change of `£2-50` from a `£10-00` note on a `£6-50` purchase, have you been short-changed?

Explanation:

I think you would immediately recognize that you had been short-changed.

Now looking at the equation,

`2Al + 3O_2 rarr 2Al_2O_3`,

on each side there are 6 oxygen atoms, but on the left hand side there are 2 aluminum atoms, and on the RHS, there are 4 aluminium atoms. And this the equation is UNBALANCED, and thus it CANNOT be accepted as a representation of chemical reality.

The stoichiometrically balanced equation has GARBAGE OUT EQUIVALENT TO GARBAGE IN..........i.e.

`4Al+3O_2 rarr 2Al_2O_3`

On the other hand, if you were presented with `2+4=10`, would you twig that the balance is shot?