Balancing Chemical Equations

Front

What is a balanced chemical equation?

Back

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

Front

What are reactants in a chemical equation?

Back

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

Front

What are products in a chemical equation?

Back

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

Front

What does the arrow (→) in a chemical equation represent?

Back

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

Front

What is the purpose of coefficients in a chemical equation?

Back

Coefficients are used to balance the equation by indicating the number of molecules or moles of each substance involved in the reaction.

Front

How do you determine if a chemical equation is balanced?

Back

Count the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation; if they are equal, the equation is balanced.

Front

What is the law of conservation of mass?

Back

The law states that mass cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction; the total mass of reactants equals the total mass of products.

Front

What is the coefficient for NO in the equation N₂ + O₂ → __?__ NO?

Back

The coefficient is 2, making the balanced equation N₂ + O₂ → 2NO.

Front

What is the significance of the subscripts in a chemical formula?

Back

Subscripts indicate the number of atoms of each element in a molecule; for example, in H₂O, there are 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom.

Front

What does it mean if a chemical equation is not balanced?

Back

It means that the number of atoms of at least one element is different on the reactant side compared to the product side, violating the law of conservation of mass.