The Law of Conservation of Mass is really important for balancing chemical equations.

It tells us that matter can’t be created or destroyed.

This means that when we balance an equation, the total number of atoms on both sides has to be the same.

Here’s what that means:

• If we start with some reactants, we need to end up with the same amount of products.

A helpful tip:

• Count the atoms for each element.
• Then, change the numbers in front (called coefficients) until they match on both sides!

This rule helps us keep things in line with how chemical reactions actually work!