To determine if the statement is true, let's analyze what defines a balanced chemical equation.
A balanced chemical equation accurately represents the law of conservation of mass. This law states that mass is neither created nor destroyed during a chemical reaction. Therefore, for a chemical equation to be balanced, it must have the same number of each type of atom on both sides of the equation. This ensures that the amount of reactants equals the amount of products in terms of the elements involved.
Here's a step-by-step explanation:
1. Identify all participating elements: Determine the elements present in the chemical equation.
2. Count the atoms of each element on both sides of the equation: Make an inventory of how many atoms of each type are present among the reactants and products.
3. Adjust coefficients to balance the atoms: Alter the coefficients (the numbers in front of chemical formulas) to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation. Note that you only change the coefficients, not the subscripts in the formulas.
4. Verify the balance: After adjusting coefficients, recount the atoms of each element on both sides to ascertain that they match.
Given the statement “A balanced chemical equation is one that has the same number of moles of molecules on each side of the equation,” we have considered what defines a balanced equation. Since a balanced equation must have the same number of each type of atom on both sides, implicitly the number of moles of molecules (which are collections of atoms) will balance out as well. This logical analysis confirms the statement provided.
Therefore, the correct answer to whether the statement is true or false is:
True.
