Counting Atoms and Balancing Equations

Front

What is a balanced chemical equation?

Back

A balanced chemical equation shows that the same number of atoms in the reactants are also in the products.

Front

What are the products in a chemical equation?

Back

The products are the substances formed as a result of a chemical reaction, found on the right side of the equation.

Front

What does the Law of Inertia state?

Back

The Law of Inertia states that an object at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Front

What does a subscript indicate in a chemical formula?

Back

A subscript indicates the number of atoms of the element in a molecule.

Front

What is a coefficient in a chemical equation?

Back

A coefficient is a big number placed in front of a chemical formula that indicates how many molecules of that substance are present.

Front

What is the Law of Conservation of Mass?

Back

The Law of Conservation of Mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction.

Front

What does it mean for a chemical equation to be unbalanced?

Back

An unbalanced chemical equation does not have the same number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation.

Front

How do you balance a chemical equation?

Back

To balance a chemical equation, adjust the coefficients to ensure the same number of each type of atom appears on both sides.

Front

What is the role of reactants in a chemical equation?

Back

Reactants are the starting substances that undergo a chemical reaction, found on the left side of the equation.

Front

What is the difference between a reactant and a product?

Back

Reactants are the substances that start a chemical reaction, while products are the substances formed as a result of the reaction.