Loona Chemical Equation Balancer — Balanced, and Proven Balanced
Balancing by trial and error works until combustion and redox equations arrive. This balancer solves the underlying system exactly — the same linear algebra a chemist's software uses — and then proves its answer by recounting every atom.
How to Use It
- Type the equation: substances separated by +, sides by ->. Use proper element symbols and brackets as needed: e.g. Fe + O2 -> Fe2O3, Ca(OH)2 + HCl -> CaCl2 + H2O.
- Leave out any coefficients you may have typed — or include them; existing numbers are ignored and recomputed.
- Read the balanced equation and the atom check beneath it: every element must show the same number on both sides — that equality is the definition of balanced.
How It Works
Each substance is parsed into atom counts (the same parser as the Molar Mass Calculator). Balancing is a system of one equation per element; it is solved exactly with fraction arithmetic (Gaussian elimination — no decimals, no rounding), and the free variable is scaled to the smallest positive whole numbers. If an input has no solution, or secretly combines two independent reactions, the tool says so instead of inventing coefficients. A final independent recount of atoms on both sides verifies every result before it is displayed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why smallest whole numbers?
Convention: 2H2 + O2 → 2H2O, not 4H2 + 2O2 → 4H2O, though both balance. The tool reduces coefficients by their greatest common divisor, matching textbook style.
Can it balance ionic or half-equations?
It balances full molecular equations. Charge is not tracked, so ionic half-equations with electrons (e−) are outside its scope — balance those by the half-equation method you are learning, and use this tool for the full equation check.
It says 'more than one independent solution'. What does that mean?
Your equation can be balanced in genuinely different ways — usually because it glues two separate reactions together (a classic case is carbon burning to both CO and CO2). Split it into the two real reactions and balance each.