Word Equation

Ammonium sulfate → ammonia + sulfuric acid

Input Interpretation

(NH4)2SO4 → 2 NH3 + H2SO4

Balanced Equation

To balance the chemical equation, we add stoichiometric coefficients (c1, c2, c3) to the reactants and products. Thus, we get:

c1 (NH4)2SO4 → c2 2NH3 + c3 H2SO4

Next, we set the number of atoms in the reactants equal to the number of atoms in the products for H, N, O, and S:

H: 8c1 = 3c2 + 2c3

N: 2c1 = c2

O: 4c1 = 4c3

S: c1 = c3

Since the coefficients are relative quantities and underdetermined, we choose a coefficient to set arbitrarily. In this case, we set c1 to 1 and solve the system of equations to find that 

c2 = 2 and c3 = 1.

Substituting these coefficients into the chemical reaction gives us the balanced equation

(NH4)2SO4 → 2 NH3 + H2SO4

Explanation

Balancing chemical equations is a crucial aspect of chemistry. It helps us understand the chemical reactions and predict the outcomes of the reactions. In this case, we started with a word equation and converted it into a chemical equation. By adding stoichiometric coefficients and balancing the equation, we ensured that the number of atoms on the reactant side equals the number of atoms on the product side.

We solved the system of equations by arbitrarily setting c1 to 1 and finding the values of c2 and c3. Finally, we substituted these coefficients into the chemical reaction to obtain the balanced equation.