My Easy Science
Equation Balancer
Type an equation in plain text. Get it written properly, balanced, and ready to copy.
Try one:
Browse all 1000 equations
Search by formula, element or type. Tap any equation to load it into the balancer above.
Balanced result
—
Balance an equation to see the result here.
Balance an equation to see its reaction diagram here.
Type an equation, then tap Balance it.
How it works
A balanced equation has the same number of each atom on both sides of the arrow. That is the whole rule: atoms are never created or destroyed in a chemical reaction, they are only rearranged. To balance an equation you change only the big numbers in front of each formula, called coefficients. You never change the small numbers inside a formula, because that would change the substance itself.
Worked example. Hydrogen burns in oxygen: H2 + O2 -> H2O. Count first. Left: 2 hydrogen, 2 oxygen. Right: 2 hydrogen, 1 oxygen. Oxygen is short on the right, so put a 2 in front of H2O: H2 + O2 -> 2H2O. Now the right has 4 hydrogen and 2 oxygen, so hydrogen is short on the left. Put a 2 in front of H2: 2H2 + O2 -> 2H2O. Both sides now have 4 hydrogen and 2 oxygen. Balanced.
The tool does the same counting for you, but it solves the whole system at once, so it also handles tricky cases like Ca(OH)2 + H3PO4 -> Ca3(PO4)2 + H2O, redox equations, and ions such as Ag+ + Cl- -> AgCl, where the total charge must balance as well as the atoms. Brackets, hydrates like CuSO4.5H2O, state symbols (s), (l), (g), (aq), and charges written as Fe3+ or SO4^2- are all supported. Balancing runs fully on your phone or computer; nothing is sent to a server. The molecule drawings in the reaction diagram come live from PubChem and need an internet connection.
How was this calculated?
The balancer turns the atom counts into a set of linear equations and solves them with exact fractions, so the answer is always whole numbers in the lowest ratio. Charges are balanced too, so ionic equations work. If an equation has more than one valid answer, one correct answer is shown and you are told. Checked against hand-worked examples: H2 + O2 -> H2O gives 2H2 + O2 -> 2H2O, and CH4 + O2 -> CO2 + H2O gives CH4 + 2O2 -> CO2 + 2H2O.
For learning only. Not for patient care decisions. Always check with a qualified professional and the product label.