## Balanced Chemical Equations

$\Delta U=q+w$

Ellis Song 4I
Posts: 102
Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2019 12:17 am

### Balanced Chemical Equations

Why are the balanced chemical equations for this unit have fractional coefficients rather than integers? Would doing the problem with the whole number coefficients change the answer because the ratios would still be the same.

romina_4C
Posts: 100
Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2019 12:17 am

### Re: Balanced Chemical Equations

I'm not exactly sure why, but usually for formation reactions you usually want it to be where you only form one mole of the compound in question.

Posts: 102
Joined: Wed Sep 18, 2019 12:18 am

### Re: Balanced Chemical Equations

If you have fractional coefficients, multiplying to yield whole number coefficients would affect every component of the reaction and therefore the ratio should remain the same and so should your answers. I think you should be okay.

Mandeep Garcha 2H
Posts: 100
Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2019 12:17 am

### Re: Balanced Chemical Equations

When you balance an equation and it has fractions, you must multiply the whole reaction with a whole number to get rid of the fractions.

Leonardo Le Merle 1D
Posts: 56
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2019 12:16 am

### Re: Balanced Chemical Equations

An example for the above reply would be in the case of CH3OH + (3/2)O2 = CO2 + (2)H2O...
You'd multiply both sides by 2 to get (2)CH3OH + (3)O2 = (2)CO2 + (4)H2O