Balancing Chemical Equations - Honors

Front

What is a chemical equation?

Back

A chemical equation is a symbolic representation of a chemical reaction, showing the reactants and products involved.

Front

What are reactants in a chemical equation?

Back

Reactants are the starting substances that undergo a chemical change in a reaction.

Front

What are products in a chemical equation?

Back

Products are the substances formed as a result of a chemical reaction.

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 to indicate how many molecules or moles of that substance are involved in the reaction.

Front

How many atoms of an element are in a compound represented by a subscript?

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The subscript indicates the number of atoms of that element in one molecule of the compound.

Front

What is the law of conservation of mass?

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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 do you determine the number of oxygen atoms in a compound like 2SO4?

Back

Multiply the subscript of oxygen (4) by the coefficient (2) to find the total number of oxygen atoms: 2 x 4 = 8.

Front

What is the balanced equation for the combustion of methane (CH4)?

Back

The balanced equation is: CH4 + 2O2 -> CO2 + 2H2O.

Front

What is the significance of the arrow in a chemical equation?

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The arrow indicates the direction of the reaction, showing that reactants are transformed into products.