Magnesium Nitride Formula Balanced
The chemical formula for magnesium nitride is Mg3N2. This formula is balanced because it indicates that there are three atoms of magnesium and two atoms of nitrogen in the compound. The subscripts "3" and "2" indicate the relative number of each type of atom present.
To balance the formula, we need to ensure that the total number of atoms on both sides of the equation is the same. In the case of magnesium nitride, we have:
Mg + N2 → Mg3N2
On the left side of the equation, we have one atom of magnesium and two atoms of nitrogen (since N2 is a diatomic molecule). On the right side, we have three atoms of magnesium and two atoms of nitrogen, which balances out the equation.
It's important to note that the subscripts in a chemical formula represent the smallest whole-number ratio of atoms in a compound. Therefore, Mg3N2 can also be written as Mg1.5N1 or Mg6N4, but these formulas do not accurately reflect the actual number of atoms present in the compound.