BALANCE THIS EQUATION please?

Question

please help it confuses me the more i try : Mg(OH)2 + H3PO4 -----> Mg3(PO4)2 + H2O

Answer 1

The long and (relatively) easy way:
You have 3 atoms of Mg on the right, therefore you need three on the left.
You have two (PO4) on the right, you need 2 on the left.

intermediate result:

3 Mg(OH)2 + 2 H3PO4 -----> Mg3(PO4)2 + H2O

Next, we need to check H and O (other than O in PO4):
H left = 3*2 + 2*3 = 12
H right = 2

O left = 3*2 + 0 = 6 (I'm ignoring the already balanced PO4 radicals)
O right = 1

we need 6 water molecules on the right to provide the correct number of H and O

final answer:

3 Mg(OH)2 + 2 H3PO4 -----> Mg3(PO4)2 + 6 H2O

Answer 2

3 Mg(OH)2 + 2 H3PO4 ---> Mg3(PO4)2 + 6 H2O

Remember to make the # of H and OH the same to form water.

(I noticed the person who answered above me took a long time after his first answer of "I'll be back with you". I hope you have actually read the rest of these answers which came from someone who knew what they were doing without looking up the information to fool you into thinking they knew what they were doing!)

Answer 3

Mg(OH)2 + H3PO4 -----> Mg3(PO4)2 + H2O
follow the pattern: balance Mg, then P, then H, then O.
You get:
(3)Mg(OH)2 + (2)H3PO4 -----> (1)Mg3(PO4)2 + (6)H2O
Mg-3
P-2
H-12
O-14

Consifder this website, it has a practical method of balancing ANY chemical equations:
http://scholar.chem.nyu.edu/0109/suppnotes/set02/chap02.html

Answer 4

There are three Mg on the right so just make three on the left too. Then there are two P on the right, so double up the left also.

If you count up the Mg, O, H and P you will find that it now balances. Wasn't that easy?

3Mg(OH)2 + 2H3PO4 -----> Mg3(PO4)2 + H2O

Answer 5

coefficients in order..

3 2 1 6