The chemical equation below is not balanced. What is the coefficient of iron (Fe) when the equation is balanced?Fe(s) + O2(g) → Fe2O3(s)

To balance the chemical equation, we need to ensure that the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the equation.

1. Looking at the equation Fe(s) + O2(g) → Fe2O3(s), we see that there are 2 Fe atoms on the right side of the equation and only 1 on the left. So, we put a coefficient of 2 in front of Fe on the left side to balance the Fe atoms. The equation now looks like this: 2Fe(s) + O2(g) → Fe2O3(s).

2. Now, we need to balance the O atoms. There are 3 O atoms on the right side of the equation and 2 on the left. To balance the O atoms, we put a coefficient of 3/2 in front of O2 on the left side. The equation now looks like this: 2Fe(s) + 3/2O2(g) → Fe2O3(s).

However, it's not conventional to have fractional coefficients in a balanced chemical equation. To get rid of the fraction, we can multiply all coefficients by 2.

3. Multiplying all coefficients by 2 gives us: 4Fe(s) + 3O2(g) → 2Fe2O3(s).

So, the coefficient of iron (Fe) when the equation is balanced is 4.