Let's balance the given chemical reaction step-by-step:
1. Write the unbalanced equation:
[tex]\[
Mg (s) + HCl (aq) \rightarrow MgCl_2 (aq) + H_2 (g)
\][/tex]
2. Identify the number of atoms for each element on both sides of the equation:
- On the reactant side:
- Magnesium (Mg): 1
- Hydrogen (H): 1 from HCl
- Chlorine (Cl): 1 from HCl
- On the product side:
- Magnesium (Mg): 1
- Hydrogen (H): 2 from H_2
- Chlorine (Cl): 2 from MgCl_2
3. Balance hydrogen and chlorine atoms by adjusting the coefficient of HCl:
We see that there are 2 chlorine atoms on the product side (from MgCl_2) but only 1 on the reactant side (from HCl). Therefore, we need to place 2 molecules of HCl on the reactant side to balance chlorine:
[tex]\[
Mg (s) + 2 HCl (aq) \rightarrow MgCl_2 (aq) + H_2 (g)
\][/tex]
4. Check the balance for each element:
- On the reactant side:
- Magnesium (Mg): 1
- Hydrogen (H): 2 from 2 HCl
- Chlorine (Cl): 2 from 2 HCl
- On the product side:
- Magnesium (Mg): 1
- Hydrogen (H): 2 from H_2
- Chlorine (Cl): 2 from MgCl_2
As we see, the reactant and product sides have the same number of atoms for each element, meaning the equation is now balanced.
So, the balanced chemical equation is:
[tex]\[
Mg (s) + 2 HCl (aq) \rightarrow MgCl_2 (aq) + H_2 (g)
\][/tex]
