Balancing Equations using Masses

Question 1

If you know the masses of the reactants and products, how can you work out the balanced symbol equation for the reaction?

Answer 1

1) Divide the mass of each substance by its Mr to find the number of moles.
2) Divide the number of moles of each substance by the smallest number of moles in the reaction.
3) If needed, multiply all the numbers by the same amount to make them all whole numbers.
4) Write the balanced symbol equation for the reaction by putting these numbers in front of the formulas.