Balancing chemical equations is about making sure we have the same number of reactants as products. This idea follows the law of conservation of mass, which says that matter can’t be created or destroyed.

What Are Reactants?

• Starting Ingredients: Reactants are the substances we start with in a chemical reaction.
• Change Happens: They go through a change to become new substances called products.
• Example: In the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen ($2H_2 + O_2 \rightarrow 2H_2O$), hydrogen and oxygen are our reactants.

What Are Products?

• The Result: Products are what we end up with after the reaction is finished.
• Show the Change: They show the new substances that formed, which should match the number of reactants.

How to Balance Equations:

1. Count Atoms: First, count how many atoms there are for each element on both sides of the equation.
2. Change Numbers: Adjust the coefficients (the numbers in front of the compounds) to balance things out.
3. Try Again: You might have to change things a few times to make sure they all match.

In the end, balancing equations helps us see how substances interact in a reaction. It also makes sure that no atoms are lost or gained, just changed!