A chemical equation is a symbolic representation of a chemical reaction, with the reactants on the left side and the products on the right side. It shows the chemical formulas of the substances involved and the relative amounts of each substance.
To balance a chemical equation, you need to make sure that the number of atoms of each element is equal on both sides of the equation. You can do this by adjusting the coefficients (numbers in front of the chemical formulas) to achieve balance.
The symbols represent the elements involved in the reaction, and the numbers indicate the number of atoms or molecules of each element. The arrow (→) represents the direction of the reaction, with the reactants on the left and the products on the right.
Balancing a chemical equation is important because it follows the law of conservation of mass, which states that matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction. A balanced equation ensures that the same number of each type of atom is present on both sides of the reaction.
No, you should not change the subscripts in a chemical equation as they represent the number of atoms of each element in a molecule. Changing the subscripts would change the chemical formula and therefore the entire equation. The only numbers that can be changed are the coefficients.