Learn what a chemical equation is, how to write it, and what symbols to use to represent the direction, state, and input of energy of a chemical reaction. See examples of chemical equations and ionic equations with spectator ions and net ionic equations. On this page of our Chemistry Tutorial, learn how to represent chemical reactions symbolically using formulas, coefficients, and state symbols—and discover how to count atoms to ensure your equations are balanced, reflecting the law of conservation of mass. Managing your way through a Chemistry course can be difficult. Balancing chemical equations involves the addition of stoichiometric coefficients to the reactants and products. This is important because a chemical equation must obey the law of conservation of mass and the law of constant proportions, i.e. the same number of atoms of each element must exist on the reactant side and the product side of the equation. Two quick and easy methods of balancing a chemical equation are discussed in this article. The first method is the traditional balancing ... Balance Chemical Equation - Online BalancerCheck the balance. Now, both sides have 4 H atoms and 2 O atoms. The equation is balanced. Balancing with algebraic method This method uses algebraic equations to find the correct coefficients. Each molecule's coefficient is represented by a variable (like x, y, z), and a series of equations are set up based on the number of each type of atom. Best for: Equations that are more complex and not easily balanced by inspection. Process: Assign variables ...