Balance the equation Al + Fe2O3 -> Al2O3 + Fe.

• A. Al + Fe2O3 -> Al2O3 + Fe
• B. 4 Al + 3 Fe2O3 -> 2 Al2O3 + 3 Fe
• C. 2 Al + Fe2O3 -> Al2O3 + 2 Fe
• D. Al + 2 Fe2O3 -> Al2O3 + 4 Fe

Answer: (C)

Balancing chemical equations means making sure the same number of each type of atom appears on both sides. For this reaction, you have Al, Fe, and O to balance.

Aluminum is in Al2O3, which contains 2 aluminum atoms. To match that on the left, put a coefficient of 2 in front of aluminum: 2 Al.

Fe comes from Fe2O3, which has 2 iron atoms. To provide the same amount of iron on the right, add 2 Fe as products: 2 Fe.

Oxygen balance is then satisfied with one Fe2O3 on the left and one Al2O3 on the right, since Fe2O3 has 3 oxygens and Al2O3 has 3 oxygens.

Putting it together, the balanced equation is: 2 Al + Fe2O3 -> Al2O3 + 2 Fe.

This form satisfies the counts for Al, Fe, and O, so it’s the correct balance. The other forms don’t conserve one or more element counts.