Potassium chlorate is a white, crystalline solid. It can be broken down into potassium chloride (a salt) and oxygen gas. For this chemical reaction write a:
a) Word equation

b) Skeletal equation (balanced)
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Notice that the number of atoms of

K

and

Cl

are the same on both sides, but the numbers of

O

atoms are not. There are 3

O

atoms on the the left side and 2 on the right. 3 and 2 are factors of 6, so add coefficients so that there are 6

O

atoms on both sides.

2KClO

3

(

s

)

+ heat

→

KCl(s)

+

3O

2

(

g

)

Now the

K

and

Cl

atoms are not balanced. There are 2 of each on the left and 1 of each on the right. Add a coefficient of 2 in front of

KCl

.

2KClO

3

(

s

)

+ heat

→

2KCl(s)

+

3O

2

(

g

)

The equation is now balanced with 2

K

atoms,

the first one.

Explanation: