Balancing chemical equations is like a puzzle that chemists solve to ensure that matter is conserved. When acids and anhydrides react, writing the balanced equation is essential for understanding the reaction's stoichiometry.For the iodine pentoxide and water reaction, we derive:\[\mathrm{I}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{5} + \mathrm{H}_{2}\mathrm{O} \rightarrow 2 \mathrm{HIO}_{3}\]Every element must be balanced on both sides:
- 2 iodine atoms on each side.
- 6 oxygen atoms on each side (5 from iodine pentoxide and 1 from water).
- 2 hydrogen atoms on each side (from water transformed into iodic acid).
Balancing not only ensures conservation of mass but also provides insight into how compounds interact at the molecular level, allowing chemists to predict products and proportions accurately.