Balancing 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 of 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 the coefficients in a balanced equation?

Back

Coefficients are determined by adjusting the numbers in front of the compounds to ensure the same number of each type of atom on both sides.

Front

What is the role of coefficients in a chemical equation?

Back

Coefficients indicate the relative amounts of reactants and products involved in the reaction.

Front

What is a yield sign in a chemical equation?

Back

The yield sign (→) separates reactants from products and indicates the direction of the reaction.

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 are not changed when balancing equations.

Front

How do you balance the equation: _Mg + _HCl → _MgCl2 + _H2?

Back

The balanced equation is 1Mg + 2HCl → 1MgCl2 + 1H2.