Balancing Chemical Equations

Front

What is a chemical equation?

Back

A chemical equation is a symbolic representation of a chemical reaction, showing the reactants and products along with their quantities.

Front

What does it mean to balance a chemical equation?

Back

Balancing a chemical equation means ensuring that the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the equation.

Front

What is a coefficient in a chemical equation?

Back

A coefficient is a number placed in front of a chemical formula in an equation to indicate how many molecules or moles of that substance are involved.

Front

What is a subscript in a chemical formula?

Back

A subscript is a small number written to the right of an element symbol that indicates the number of atoms of that element in a molecule.

Front

How do you determine the number of atoms in a compound?

Back

To determine the number of atoms in a compound, add the subscripts of each element in the chemical formula.

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; the total mass of reactants equals the total mass of products.

Front

How many oxygen atoms are in H₂O?

Back

There is 1 oxygen atom in H₂O.

Front

What is the formula for calculating the total number of atoms in a molecule?

Back

The total number of atoms in a molecule is calculated by summing the products of the subscripts and coefficients for each element.

Front

What is the difference between a reactant and a product?

Back

A reactant is a substance that undergoes a chemical change in a reaction, while a product is a substance formed as a result of that reaction.

Front

How can you tell if a chemical equation is balanced?

Back

A chemical equation is balanced if the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation.