What is the balanced form of the reaction

What is the balanced form of the reaction: FeCl3 + NaOH → Fe(OH)3 + NaCl Group of answer choices 2 FeCl3 + 3 NaOH → 2 Fe(OH)3 + 3 NaCl FeCl3 + 3 NaOH → Fe(OH)3 + 3 NaCl FeCl3 + NaOH → Fe(OH)3 + NaCl FeCl3 + 2 NaOH → Fe(OH)3 + 2 NaCl

The Correct Answer and Explanation is:

The correct balanced form of the reaction is:

FeCl₃ + 3 NaOH → Fe(OH)₃ + 3 NaCl

Explanation:

In this chemical reaction, iron(III) chloride (FeCl₃) reacts with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to produce iron(III) hydroxide [Fe(OH)₃] and sodium chloride (NaCl).

To balance the equation properly, follow these steps:

1. Write the unbalanced equation
   FeCl₃ + NaOH → Fe(OH)₃ + NaCl
2. Balance the Iron (Fe) atoms
   There is 1 Fe atom on both sides, so Iron is already balanced.
3. Balance the Chlorine (Cl) atoms
   On the left side, FeCl₃ has 3 Cl atoms. On the right side, each NaCl has 1 Cl atom. Therefore, you need 3 NaCl molecules to balance Chlorine:
   FeCl₃ + NaOH → Fe(OH)₃ + 3 NaCl
4. Balance the Sodium (Na) atoms
   There are now 3 Na atoms on the right side due to the 3 NaCl molecules. You need 3 NaOH molecules on the left side to balance Sodium:
   FeCl₃ + 3 NaOH → Fe(OH)₃ + 3 NaCl
5. Check the Hydroxide (OH) groups
   On the left side, you have 3 OH groups from 3 NaOH. On the right side, Fe(OH)₃ contains 3 OH groups, so the hydroxide is balanced.
6. Final balanced equation
   FeCl₃ + 3 NaOH → Fe(OH)₃ + 3 NaCl

This balanced equation follows the law of conservation of mass, meaning the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the reaction.

Correct answer:
FeCl₃ + 3 NaOH → Fe(OH)₃ + 3 NaCl