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 along with their quantities.

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 are coefficients in a chemical equation?

Back

Coefficients are the larger numbers placed in front of the chemical formulas in a reaction to indicate the number of molecules or moles of a substance.

Front

What are reactants in a chemical equation?

Back

Reactants are the starting substances that undergo a chemical change in a reaction.

Front

What are products in a chemical equation?

Back

Products are the substances formed as a result of a chemical reaction.

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; the total mass of reactants equals the total mass of products.

Front

How do you balance the equation: SeCl6 + O2 → SeO2 + Cl2?

Back

The balanced equation is: 1 SeCl6 + 1 O2 → 1 SeO2 + 3 Cl2.

Front

How do you balance the equation: Mg + Cl2 → MgCl2?

Back

The equation is already balanced as it stands: 1 Mg + 1 Cl2 → 1 MgCl2.

Front

How do you balance the equation: Zn + HCl → ZnCl2 + H2?

Back

The balanced equation is: 1 Zn + 2 HCl → 1 ZnCl2 + 1 H2.

Front

How do you balance the equation: Al + HCl → H2 + AlCl3?

Back

The balanced equation is: 2 Al + 6 HCl → 3 H2 + 2 AlCl3.