Question

When iron metal reacts with sulfuric acid, it produces iron (III) sulfate and hydrogen gas. Balance the equation: Fe + H2SO4 → Fe2(SO4)3 + H2.

Explain why it is necessary to balance chemical equations and why coefficients can be added to an equation, but subscripts cannot be changed.

Answer 1

We need to balance because according to law of conservation of mass

• In any chemical reaction mass is neither created nor destroyed,it remains conserved.

So

• Mass of products=Mass of reactants

We cannot change the subscripts as we can't change the chemical formula.