Magnesium chlorate, with the chemical formula Mg(ClO3)2, is a powerful oxidizing agent that can easily decompose to produce magnesium chloride (MgCl2) and oxygen gas (O2). This reaction is a classic example of an oxidation-reduction (redox) reaction, in which electrons are transferred between the reactants.

Input interpretation:

Mg(ClO3)2 → MgCl2 + O2

Balanced equation:

The balanced chemical equation for this reaction is:

Mg(ClO3)2 → MgCl2 + O2

To balance this equation, we need to make sure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation. We can do this by assigning stoichiometric coefficients to each reactant and product.

First, we set the coefficients for magnesium (Mg), chlorine (Cl), and oxygen (O) atoms in the reactants and products equal to each other:

Mg: 1c1 = 1c2

Cl: 2c1 = 2c2

O: 6c1 = 2c3

Next, we arbitrarily choose a coefficient, usually 1, and solve the system of equations for the remaining coefficients. In this case, we can choose c1 = 1:

c1 = 1

c2 = 1

c3 = 3

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

Mg(ClO3)2 → MgCl2 + 3O2

This balanced equation shows that one mole of magnesium chlorate reacts with one mole of magnesium chloride and three moles of oxygen gas are produced.

Overall, understanding the chemical equation of Mg(ClO3)2 is essential for predicting the products of its decomposition reaction and for a variety of other chemical processes that involve this compound. As a highly reactive substance, it must be handled with care and with proper protective equipment.