Chemistry Burns

Uh...I have no idea how to balance equations...No matter how hard I try.

For example:

Sc + HBr --> ScBr3 + H2

Sorry about the lack of subscripts, but there aren't any coefficients in this particular one anyway...

Can anyone help?

I think I can! But please don't harbor any resentment if I actually don't have it right -- but it's worth a shot anyway!

Sc + HBr --> ScBr3 + H2

See how there are 3 Br's on the right side? In order to balance it, there must be 3 Br's on the other side. So you add a 3 as a coefficient to the HBr on the left side, to get 3 Br's. So it becomes:

Sc + 3HBr --> ScBr3 + H2

Since the 3HBr also makes 3 H's, you need to make it so the H on the right side is equal. However, there are already 2 H's there, and you can only add a co-efficient. So what you do, is you put a 3 in front of the H2 so it creates 6 H's. Then, you go back to the right side and change the 3HBr to the 6Hbr so the H's are balanced.

Sc + 6HBr --> ScBr3 + 3H2

Then, to balance the Br's on the right side, you put a 2 in front of the ScBr3. Then, it becomes:

Sc + 6HBr --> 2ScBr3 + 3H2

Then, to finish it off, you put a 2 before the Sc on the left side, so its balanced with the one on the right. So your final balanced equation is:

2Sc +6HBr --> 2ScBr3 + 3H2

When you look at the balanced equation, you can see that there is the same amount of each element on both the left and right side. Hope I helped! Chemistry isn't my strongest subject, but balancing equations is something I'm fairly decent at.


-Sam

Hey, thanks. I got that same answer after I knocked it around in my brain for half an hour...

Now just 7 more to go.

Eep, sounds like a joy. >.< I know the horrors of Chemistry homework as well.

Good luck!

My head goes round and round when I find loads of equation based questions in my chemistry tests.

Eww. I hate balancing equations.