What is the minimum amount of energy
that can be gained or lost by an atom?

quantum (93) the minimum quantity of energy that can be lost or gained by an atom (plural: quanta)

Explanation:

A quantum is the minimum amount of any physical entity involved in an interaction.

chemical energy is stored in the chemical bonds of atoms and molecules. it can only be seen when it is released in a chemical reaction. when chemical energy is released, the substance from which the energy came is often changed into an entirely different substance.

this chemical reaction releases energy in the form of light and heat. chemical energy is the potential energy stored in the arrangement of atoms within molecules. breaking chemical bonds requires energy, while forming new chemical bonds releases energy.

the atp molecule can store energy in the form of a high energy phosphate bond joining the terminal phosphate group to the rest of the molecule. in this form,energy can be stored at one location, then moved from one part of the cell to another, where it can be released to drive other biochemical reactions.

2fe + 3h2so4 -> fe2(so4)3 + 3h2

it is necessary to balance equations in order to get the proper amount of reactants as well as products in order not to make a miscalculation.

you cannot change the subscripts as that would change the substance itself. for instance, diatomic elements such as h2 only have the subscript two when a gas. another example would be so4, if you were to change the subscript, the element would no longer be sulfate.

we change the coefficients instead as that only changes the number of molecules rather than the substance itself.

hope this !