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 involved.

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 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 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

How do you balance the equation H2 + Cl2 -> HCl?

Back

The balanced equation is H2 + Cl2 -> 2HCl.

Front

What is the coefficient in a chemical equation?

Back

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

Front

What is the difference between a balanced and unbalanced equation?

Back

A balanced equation has equal numbers of each type of atom on both sides, while an unbalanced equation does not.

Front

How do you identify the limiting reactant in a reaction?

Back

The limiting reactant is the substance that is completely consumed first in a chemical reaction, limiting the amount of product formed.

Front

What is a skeleton equation?

Back

A skeleton equation is a chemical equation that shows the reactants and products but not their coefficients.