1. Identify the reactants and products:

* Reactants: Sodium (Na) and Oxygen (O₂)

* Product: Sodium oxide (Na₂O)

2. Write the unbalanced equation:

Na + O₂ → Na₂O

3. Balance the equation:

* Sodium (Na): There are 2 Na atoms on the product side and only 1 on the reactant side. Add a coefficient of 2 in front of Na on the reactant side.

* Oxygen (O): There are 2 O atoms on the reactant side and 1 on the product side. Add a coefficient of 2 in front of Na₂O on the product side.

Balanced equation:

4 Na + O₂ → 2 Na₂O

Explanation of the 2:1 ratio:

The balanced equation shows that 4 sodium atoms react with 1 oxygen molecule. This translates to a 2:1 ratio (4 Na atoms / 2 O atoms = 2/1).