Balance the following reaction CS₂+Cl₂. CCl₄+S₂Cl₂

Explanation:

Step 1: Take inventory of the atoms on both sides of the equation. On the reactant side (left side): 1 Carbon (C), 2 Sulfur (S), and 2 Chlorine (Cl) atoms. On the product side (right side): 1 Carbon, 2 Sulfur, and 4 Chlorine atoms from CCl₄ and 1 Sulfur and 2 Chlorine atoms from S₂Cl₂, totaling 6 Chlorine atoms in the product.

Step 2: Look for the elements that are not balanced. In this case, the Chlorine atoms are not balanced, with 2 Chlorines on the reactant side and 6 Chlorines on the product side.

Step 3: Balance the Chlorine atoms by placing a coefficient in front of the compound containing Chlorine on the reactant side. Since there are 2 Chlorine atoms in Cl₂ and we need 6 Chlorine atoms, we can add a coefficient of 3 to Cl₂.

Step 4: The balanced equation now looks like this: CS₂ + 3Cl₂ → CCl₄ + S₂Cl₂, with 1 Carbon, 2 Sulfur, and 6 Chlorine atoms on both sides of the equation.

Therefore, the balanced equation for CS₂ + Cl₂ → CCl₄ + S₂Cl₂ is: CS₂ + 3Cl₂ → CCl₄ + S₂Cl₂.

I hope this explanation helps you understand how to balance chemical equations effectively!