Balancing Chemical Equations

Front

What is a balanced chemical equation?

Back

A balanced chemical equation has equal numbers of each type of atom on both sides of the equation, indicating that mass is conserved during a chemical reaction.

Front

What is the law of conservation of mass?

Back

The law of conservation of mass states that mass cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction; it can only change forms.

Front

How do you determine the coefficients in a balanced chemical equation?

Back

Coefficients are determined by adjusting the numbers in front of the chemical formulas to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation.

Front

What is the significance of coefficients in a chemical equation?

Back

Coefficients indicate the relative amounts of reactants and products involved in a chemical reaction.

Front

What is the balanced equation for the reaction of iron(III) chloride and calcium hydroxide?

Back

2 FeCl3 + 3 Ca(OH)2 → 2 Fe(OH)3 + 3 CaCl2.

Front

How many moles of silver nitrate are needed to react with one mole of copper?

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2 moles of silver nitrate (AgNO3) are needed to react with 1 mole of copper (Cu) in the reaction: 2 AgNO3 + 1 Cu → 1 Cu(NO3)2 + 2 Ag.

Front

What is the balanced equation for the reaction of sodium and water?

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2 Na + 2 H2O → 2 NaOH + H2.

Front

How many oxygen atoms are present in 2(NH4)3PO4?

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There are 8 oxygen atoms in 2(NH4)3PO4.

Front

How many hydrogen atoms are present in 2(NH4)3PO4?

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There are 24 hydrogen atoms in 2(NH4)3PO4.

Front

What is the role of subscripts in a chemical formula?

Back

Subscripts indicate the number of atoms of each element in a molecule.