Unit 5 Assessment:Balancing Equations Balance this equation. underline ( )Mg+underline ( )Cl_(2)arrow underline ( )MgCl_(2) already balanced 1,2,1 1,1,2 2,1,1

## Step 1<br />The given chemical equation is \(Mg + Cl_{2} \rightarrow MgCl_{2}\). This equation represents a chemical reaction where magnesium (Mg) reacts with chlorine (Cl_{2}) to form magnesium chloride (MgCl_{2}).<br /><br />## Step 2<br />To balance a chemical equation, we need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation. This is in accordance with the law of conservation of mass, which states that matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction.<br /><br />## Step 3<br />Looking at the given equation, we can see that there is 1 atom of magnesium (Mg) on the left side and 1 atom of magnesium on the right side. However, there are 2 atoms of chlorine (Cl) on the left side and only 1 atom of chlorine on the right side.<br /><br />## Step 4<br />To balance the chlorine atoms, we need to have 2 chlorine atoms on the right side. This can be achieved by having 2 molecules of MgCl_{2} on the right side.<br /><br />## Step 5<br />After balancing the chlorine atoms, the equation becomes \(Mg + Cl_{2} \rightarrow 2MgCl_{2}\).<br /><br />## Step 6<br />Now, we need to balance the magnesium atoms. There is 1 magnesium atom on the left side and 2 magnesium atoms on the right side. To balance the magnesium atoms, we need to have 2 magnesium atoms on the left side.<br /><br />## Step 7<br />After balancing the magnesium atoms, the equation becomes \(2Mg + Cl_{2} \rightarrow 2MgCl_{2}\).