Balancing and Classifying 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 does it mean to balance a chemical equation?

Back

Balancing a chemical equation involves adjusting the coefficients of the reactants and products to ensure that the number of atoms for each element is equal on both sides.

Front

What is the law of conservation of mass?

Back

The law of conservation of mass states that mass cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction; it can only change forms.

Front

How do you identify the reactants in a chemical equation?

Back

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

Front

How do you identify the products in a chemical equation?

Back

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

Front

What is the first step in balancing a chemical equation?

Back

The first step is to write down the number of atoms of each element present in the reactants and products.

Front

What is the significance of subscripts in a chemical formula?

Back

Subscripts indicate the number of atoms of each element in a molecule; they cannot be changed when balancing equations.

Front

What is the balanced equation for the reaction of magnesium chloride and lithium carbonate?

Back

The balanced equation is: MgCl2 + Li2(CO3) → Mg(CO3) + 2 LiCl.

Front

How do you balance the equation: HBr + Al(OH)3 → H2O + AlBr3?

Back

The balanced equation is: 3 HBr + Al(OH)3 → 3 H2O + AlBr3.