Balancing Chemical Reactions Order

[Anna Martin 2l]

When balancing chemical reactions, is there a specific order that you should go in or does the order not really matter and does it mainly depend on the reaction itself? I've heard that it is a good strategy to go in the order of balancing C, then H, then O, but I am not sure If that is completely necessary. Please let me know, thanks!

[apurva-3E]

I recommend starting with an element found in one compound in each side of the equation. So the element you want to balance depends on the reaction given. In general start with one that is only in one compound on each side. Then, balance the rest. For more complicated problems, I recommend learning the algebraic way of balancing chemical equations.

[Madilyn Schindler 3E]

There isn't necessarily a specific order that you need to go in. However, sometimes when I'm balancing a chemical equation I go from biggest to smallest, meaning I start with whichever element there is the most of. Hope that helps!

[Colin Squire 3B]

There isn't a strict procedure to balancing equations, there is some trial and error. What I tend to do is balance the least occurring element first. If carbon appeared once on the reactants and once on the products, I would most likely balance the carbon. I've also seen that doing this naturally helps the equation balance itself, but not all the time. Hopefully this helped!

[Sam_Marasigan_3D]

Hi! like what Madilyn said, there isn't really a specific order that you must follow in order to balance an equation. However, a friend told me once, that in most chemical equations, it's ideal to leave the Oxygen atoms and/or Hydrogen atoms at the very last. Try to balance the other molecules first.

[Eric Cruz 2G]

Hi, although there is no one specific way to balance combustion equations, I believe balancing Carbon first, Hydrogen Second and Oxygen last makes it much easier. The reason so is because Carbon is generally prevalent in one molecule on each side of the equation. Therefore, it's easier to manage balancing them first. Then, since Carbon is generally attached with mainly Hydrogen on the reactant side, the coefficient that was used to balance carbon facilitates the number of hydrogen on the left side, which in turn also facilitates how many hydrogens are needed on the right side. Ultimately this leaves you with only needing to solve oxygen! Oxygen is tricky since Oxygen is present in CO2 and H2O. That is why its best to do it last, after balancing C and H.

[Jasmine Vera 3L]

Hello! As many have said in the following replies, there is no correct or incorrect way of balancing chemical reactions. However, in high school chem, my teacher suggested that we should balance metals, non metals, hydrogen then oxygen last, in that corresponding order. Although this may simplify the balancing, I’ve always just found it easier to start with the first molecule in the reactant and work my way to the last.

[Sejal Parsi 3K]

Hi, as everyone has said above, there is no specific order to balance equations, but there are some tricks that can make it easier. My high school teacher also taught me to balance metals, nonmetals, hydrogen, and then oxygen as the numbers are easier to clean up that way. Also, in a lot of the equations with C, H, and O, the O ends up being in odd numbers so it helps to deal with O last. Again, there is no right way to do it but having a method helps!

[Juliana Rosales 1H]

There is no order, but I go from left to right. It is also good to just check at the end if you have equal amounts of each element on both sides.

[Aaina 2D]

I've heard that strategy too, and it typically always works. For me, in general, I find it the easiest to start with an element that's not H and O - I would balance all the other elements first. That being said, there's no specific order, but some people find it easier to leave O and H for last.

[Gillian Gabrielsen2F]

I've heard it's better to start with the largest molecule, but I normally just balance from left to right. As long as you double check your answer at the end, it shouldn't matter.

[Mari Williams 1K]

I feel it's usually easiest to balance C first, then go left to right! It obviously depends on the problem, though.

[alebenavides]

There isn't technically a correct way to balance equations. The way I do it is I basically try different things till I get the outcome needed. I usually start with hydrogen or oxygen to start off and if not I just start from left to right.

[DPatel_2L]

There is no one right way to balance, and it depends on the equation to determine the fastest way to balance.

[Ashley Wagner 2A]

As others have said before, there is no set way to balance chemical reactions, but I usually balance the equation from left to right and that works out for me the best.

[Katie Nye 2F]

There's no correct order but I have found it easiest to balance polyatomic ions first, then elements that only exist in one molecule on each side, which normally leaves me with H's and O's. When it comes down to those, it normally isn't easier one way or another but for combustion, I tend to end with the O because sometimes the single O in the water molecule forces the whole equation to be multiplied by 2.

[Simi Kapila_3E]

I think when balancing equations, you should start with balancing the element that occurs the least in the chemical equation, and then go on to balance the other elements in the equation.

[Jonathan Malau 1F]

The order depends on the chemical equation itself. However, I find that by beginning with balancing the element that "occurs the least", it makes the process much more straight-forward.

[Sophia Spungin 2E]

It's often easiest to begin with an element that does not become split up in the products!

For example, in
C5H12 + O2 --> CO2 + H2O it is easiest to NOT begin with oxygen, as this element appears in both products! In this case, I would probably start with C, followed by H, and then assessing O.

[Jessica Manriquez 1H]

I find it really helpful to list right underneath how many units of each element you have, and that way try to figure out how many you would need to make them balanced, after that I go back plug in the values I came up with and then see if it works out.

[Shalyn Kelly 3H]

Hi! As everyone above has said, I'm pretty sure that there's no set way of balancing them. I tend to leave H and O for last (as they can be the most finicky). I then pick an element that's usually attached to something else (like if Al₂ is by itself then it'll likely to be easy to balance later so I'll ignore it at first) and balance it to the other side, often - especially for the longer reactions - writing the numbers below the rxn. Then, I just trial and error my way to a balanced chemical reaction.

[Joel Meza 3I]

I don't believe there is a correct way to balance chemical reactions, but I find it effective to first balance the element that has the most bonds, which is typically carbon. I hope somewhat helps you out.

[305405193]

Usually Hyrdogen and Oxygen are left last but every problem is different! A video that helped me understand balancing equations and in which order was https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_C-V5vJv80

[Scot Widjaja Dis 1J]

For a combustion reaction, it's easier to balance the oxygen in the reactant last since it only contains one type of atom, whereas the other molecules have more than one atom. Once I've balanced my C's and H's, it's easier to figure out what the coefficient of O should be.

[David Liu 1E]

There isn't one way to do it, but I definitely find it easier to first try to balance out a molecule that has only one product with it on the right side because by attempting to balance it, a lot of the times the rest of the numbers will balance each other out through trial and error!

[Aimee Alvarado 3J]

There really isn't an order as to how to balance equations. I find it easier to separate them into a table with products on one side and reactants on the other. This just helps in figuring out which element would be the best to start with first. However, there are some times where I find that I need to start over and begin with one element first, or else the whole equation will be too much or just be really difficult to balance.

[Gicelle Rubin 1E]

Hi! I personally do not really have a particular order I follow when I'm balancing chemical equations. However, I have heard that you should first start off with the element that is repeated the most.

I hope that helps!

[Taha 2D]

theres no set order you have to follow but its the easiest to balance the elements which occur the least on both sides of the equation.

[miguel zatarain 2B]

There isn't a correct order you have to follow. For me, I balance the molecule that is least seen in the reaction (from smallest to biggest)

[Juliana Rosales 1H]

There is no order but I go from left to right.

[Michelle Nguyen 3F]

I don't think there is a specific order you need to go in! I was told to balance H's and O's first in HS, and that has helped me out, and hopefully that can help you out too. :)

[Carly_Lipschitz_3H]

When balancing chemical reactions, there isn't necessarily a specific order that you should go in, but it definitely makes it easier to approach these problems a certain way. While going in order of C, H, then O, will help make the process easier, you don't have to do it. I suggest doing that, though. I start by balancing the element that's in the reaction the most.

[Joellen 1B]

During a lecture, Dr. Lavelle recommended to start with the element that occurs the least often in the equation. For example, in the equation C₄H₁₀(g)+ O₂(g) -> CO₂(g) +H₂O(g), we would start with the C.

[AudreyQian1J]

Hi! I heard from the TA's and Dr. Lavelle that starting with C or an element that shows up in the least amount in the chemical reaction is a better order to balancing chemical reactions.

[Martha Avila 1I]

As Professor Lavelle stated, when balancing equations you should start with the element that is present the least amount of time throughout the reaction. For example in the chemical equation C4H10 + O2 → CO2 + H2O we can see that Carbon is present 2 times, once on the reactant side and once on the product side. However, Hydrogen is also present twice. According to Dr. Lavelle our next step would be to identify the element that has the least amount of atoms and in this example it would be Carbon. In conclusion the order in which you would balance this equation would be Carbon, Hydrogen, and finally oxygen. Hope this helps!

[Benicio Rivera 1F]

There really is not a specific order you must go in. I usually go from the biggest amount to the smallest amount in the formula but anyway you do it is fine, as long as you get a fully balanced equation at the end.

[Emily Quill 2H]

I agree with the other replies that there is no set order to balance equations; however, I've been told that beginning with Carbon is a good idea, especially for later on during organic chemistry where it is very prevalent.

[Lindsey Walter 3E]

While there is no specific way or order in which you must balance an equation, it is always easiest to start with the element that appears in the least number of compounds. For example, if there are 4 compounds in a reaction (2 reactants and 2 products) then you would want to start with the element that only shows up in one of the products and one of the reactants since there is a direct connection between those 2 compounds and there is no other compound that can be changed to make that specific element balanced. Then, you would go for the elements that are in multiple compounds and figure out what values need to be changed. Basically, always go from least present to most present in terms of the number of compounds an element is present in.

[Lindsey Walter 3E]

While there is no specific way or order in which you must balance an equation, it is always easiest to start with the element that appears in the least number of compounds. For example, if there are 4 compounds in a reaction (2 reactants and 2 products) then you would want to start with the element that only shows up in one of the products and one of the reactants since there is a direct connection between those 2 compounds and there is no other compound that can be changed to make that specific element balanced. Then, you would go for the elements that are in multiple compounds and figure out what values need to be changed. Basically, always go from least present to most present in terms of the number of compounds an element is present in.

[dahlia Faruque]

Hey, for balancing chemical equations the best option is to start with the element that occurs the most frequently in the equation and end with the element that occurs the least frequently. This will make it easier for you to decide the coefficients and balance the equation.

[Talia Tam 3L]

There's no set order. It's usually trial and error and personal preferences.

[905740390]

When balancing chemical reactions, is there a specific order that you should go in or does the order not really matter and does it mainly depend on the reaction itself? I've heard that it is a good strategy to go in the order of balancing C, then H, then O, but I am not sure If that is completely necessary. Please let me know, thanks!

I believe that there is not a specific order that you have to balance the equation in, but I remember Lavelle telling us to work with the element that is most abundant first then move on the the smaller ones.

[Xinyue Zou 2K]

I remember Lavelle saying that you should begin balancing the element that occurs the least first and then move on to the ones that gradually occur more often in the reaction. But there's really no right way to do it as long as it works for you.

[Anna Dai-Liu 3B]

I remember Lavelle saying that you should begin balancing the element that occurs the least first and then move on to the ones that gradually occur more often in the reaction. But there's really no right way to do it as long as it works for you.

^ Our TA mentioned today as well that you can also try to start with elements contained in molecules with multiple elements, so that once those are balanced out then you can stick on coefficients as necessary for molecules/atoms of only one element without having to manipulate the other coefficients.

[Neha Jonnalagadda 2D]

Usually, I start with the element there is the most of, meaning going from biggest to smallest amount of an element. For example, if the reactants were C6H12O6 + H2O, I would try to balance the H first and the C last.

[205282258]

there is no specific order that you must balance chemical equations in. I tend to end with molecules that have a single element because it is easiest to adjust their coefficient without changing the amount of any other element.

[Darlab_3A]

Hello! I believe like people are saying, you can kind of balance equations in an order that is easiest to you. As long as it follows the law of conservation of mass, it should be correct. I do find it easier to start with whatever there is the most of.

[206031457]

For me, it is always easier to start with the element that shows the least within the equation. That way, there are less steps later in the process as you continue to balance the equation. Hopefully this helps!

[505994906]

I agree with my peers that there is no specific order in which you need to follow to balance your equations. Each number of carbons or hydrogens or any other element will have its coefficient that will be the same number at the end regardless of the order in which you start. Although personally, I tend to balance hydrogen last as usually it is an element that is added such as for H20 or other compounds making it more common.

[605909366]

Hi! I don't think there's a specific order one needs to follow, I like to do the element that has the least amount of molecules in the formula. It's really all dependent on personal preference & what makes the most sense to you.