balancing equations

Front

What is balancing equations?

Back

Balancing equations is the process of ensuring that the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of a chemical equation.

Front

What is a chemical equation?

Back

A chemical equation is a symbolic representation of a chemical reaction, showing the reactants and products.

Front

What are reactants in a chemical equation?

Back

Reactants are the starting substances in a chemical 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 is a coefficient in a chemical equation?

Back

A coefficient is a large number placed in front of a chemical formula to indicate how many molecules or moles of that substance are involved in the reaction.

Front

What is a subscript in a chemical formula?

Back

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

Front

How do you balance the equation P4 + O2 -> P2O3?

Back

The balanced equation is P4 + 3 O2 -> 2 P2O3.

Front

How many elements are in the compound C2H8O?

Back

There are 3 elements: Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), and Oxygen (O).

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 does it mean if an equation is unbalanced?

Back

An unbalanced equation means that the number of atoms of at least one element is not the same on both sides of the equation.