Let's use the example: H2O ---> H2 + O2
We find how many elements of a product are on one side and how many elements on the other side.
Reactant: H=2 O=1
Product: H=2 O=2
We need to make the same amount of hydrogen and oxegyn atoms on each side, regardless of how high the numbers are, and we do this by adding coefficients to the compounds.
Reactant: H=4 O=2
Product : H=4 O=2
2 H2O---> 2 H2 + O2
