Balanced and Unbalanced Equations

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

Front

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

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.

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

How can you tell if a chemical equation is unbalanced?

Back

A chemical equation is unbalanced if the number of atoms of each element is not the same on both sides of the equation.

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; it is conserved.

Front

What is a Chemical Subscript?

Back

A chemical subscript is a number written below and to the right of a chemical symbol that indicates the number of atoms of that element in a molecule.

Front

What is the purpose of balancing a chemical equation?

Back

The purpose of balancing a chemical equation is to ensure that the same number of each type of atom is present on both sides, reflecting the conservation of mass.

Front

What is the balanced equation for the reaction of nitrogen and oxygen to form nitric oxide?

Back

The balanced equation is: N2 + 2O2 -> 2NO.

Front

What happens if a chemical equation is not balanced?

Back

If a chemical equation is not balanced, it does not accurately represent the reaction, leading to incorrect predictions about the amounts of reactants and products.