1. Identify the elements and their initial and final states:

* Chlorine (Cl): Starts as Cl₂ (diatomic) and ends as Cl in KCl.

* Iodine (I): Starts as I in KI and ends as I₂ (diatomic).

* Potassium (K): Starts as K in KI and ends as K in KCl.

2. Count the atoms of each element on both sides:

* Reactants:

* Cl: 2

* I: 1

* K: 1

* Products:

* Cl: 1

* I: 2

* K: 1

3. Balance the elements one at a time:

* Iodine (I): There's 1 iodine on the reactant side and 2 on the product side. To balance, add a coefficient of 2 in front of KI on the reactant side:

* Cl₂ + 2KI → KCl + I₂

* Chlorine (Cl): Now we have 2 chlorine atoms on the reactant side and 1 on the product side. Add a coefficient of 2 in front of KCl on the product side:

* Cl₂ + 2KI → 2KCl + I₂

4. Double-check the final balanced equation:

* Cl₂ + 2KI → 2KCl + I₂

The balanced equation is:

Cl₂ + 2KI → 2KCl + I₂