Chemistry: The Central Science (13th Edition)

Published by Prentice Hall
ISBN 10: 0321910419
ISBN 13: 978-0-32191-041-7

Chapter 3 - Chemical Reactions and Reaction Stoichiometry - Exercises - Page 113: 3.9b

Answer

You can change coefficients, but not subscripts, to balance a chemical equation.

Work Step by Step

The subscript is part of the definition of a reactant or product. Changing the subscript would change the identity of the compounds involved in the chemical equation. You can change the coefficients in order to balance the equation. The coefficient tells how many molecules of each compound are involved in the reaction.
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