Balancing Chemical Equations Worksheet

Chemical equations are the written or symbolic representation of a chemical reaction. Balancing these chemical equations, through the application of stoichiometry concepts, is an essential skill that almost all students will learn starting sometime around the 8th year of school. Students will continue to apply stoichiometry and balance equations in every level of chemistry.

Outside of the classroom stoichiometry is applied in many of the STEM fields, from automotive engineering to medicine. For example, engineers use stoichiometry to calculate the amount of chemical required to create the proper volume of gas to fill an airbag. In the pharmaceutical industry medicinal chemists will use this skill to determine the amount of a toxic substance that would be produced by the metabolism of a new drug. Scientists working with the International Space Station apply stoichiometry when designing the various life support systems to produce water and remove carbon dioxide from the air. This worksheet is designed to help students practice balancing chemical equations. It is also a useful tool for teachers to assess students proficiency.

The balancing chemical equations worksheet maker creates free customized printable worksheets. You can set the number of problems and complexity of the chemical equations. The equations that make up each problem are randomly selected, using your specifications, from a database of over 160 different chemical reactions. With this large database of equations, you can create multiple worksheets without repeating the same equations. After the worksheet is customized, you can print it or download it as a PDF in US Letter or A4 paper sizes. Each worksheet includes a matching answer sheet.

If you are looking for a resource to teach chemical equation balancing, then this Khan Academy Video is an excellent resource. It walks you through the process of balancing a chemical equation in about 5 minutes.