Balancing chemical reactions with Matlab

The algebra underlying the balancing of chemical reactions is highlighted. In such a way, a generic and straightforward solution is devised for simple acid–base or complex redox reactions. This could help solve troublesome issues, being the correct mass balance of utmost relevance in general and educational chemistry. The foundations of the algebraic algorithm employed, based on the nullspace of a matrix and the integer constraint, are reviewed in Appendix A (Chapter 11). Only some examples of reactions are given, while the reader may exploit other as well among the many possible.