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 determine if a chemical equation is balanced?

Back

A chemical equation is balanced if the number of atoms of each element is equal on both sides of the equation.

Front

What is the 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

What is the purpose of balancing chemical equations?

Back

The purpose of balancing chemical equations is to accurately represent the quantities of reactants and products involved in a reaction.

Front

What is a skeleton equation?

Back

A skeleton equation is a chemical equation that shows the reactants and products but not the coefficients needed to balance it.

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.