# Do the compounds in a chemical equation need a net charge of zero when predicting reaction products?

For predicting reaction products in chemical equations, I am not sure of what the subscripts would look like in the product side. I know the types of reactions, but when you predict the products, do the compounds need a net charge of zero? If the net charge of zero does not matter, would the subscripts in the products look the same in the reactants and just the coefficients are different? Thank you for your help in advance. Here are some examples as well:

EX:

__C2H2 + __O2 -> (<-Reactants)

(Products->) -> __CO2 + __H2O (<-my guess)

EX:

__LiOH + __Fe(NO3)3 ->

                > LiNO3 + FeOH


The products that are shown in the example are my guess, so they may not be correct. I am also not sure how I would balance equations for combustion.

However, the fundamental principles of conservation of mass and conservation of charge mean that you must have the same number of each atom type on both sides of a reaction arrow, and the same net charge. Net charge means, that a reaction is allowed if an overall reactant charge of $1-$ gives a set of products with an overall charge of $1-$, but not if the products’ overall charge is $2-$. An electron is permitted to be on either side of the reaction.