Balancing Chemical Equations

Front

What is a chemical equation?

Back

A representation of a chemical reaction using symbols and formulas to show the reactants and products.

Front

What are reactants in a chemical equation?

Back

The substances that undergo a chemical change, found on the left side of the equation.

Front

What are products in a chemical equation?

Back

The substances formed as a result of a chemical reaction, found on the right side of the equation.

Front

What is the purpose of balancing a chemical equation?

Back

To ensure that the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the equation, following the law of conservation of mass.

Front

What are coefficients in a chemical equation?

Back

Numbers placed before compounds in a chemical equation to indicate the number of molecules or moles of that substance.

Front

What are subscripts in a chemical formula?

Back

Numbers that indicate the number of atoms of an element in a molecule, which cannot be changed when balancing equations.

Front

How do you balance the equation: H2 + O2 → H2O?

Back

2H2 + O2 → 2H2O (by adjusting coefficients to have equal numbers of each type of atom on both sides).

Front

What is the balanced equation for: Al + HCl → H2 + AlCl3?

Back

2Al + 6HCl → 3H2 + 2AlCl3.

Front

What does it mean if a chemical equation is balanced?

Back

It means that the number of atoms of each element is equal on both sides of the equation.

Front

What is the first step in balancing a chemical equation?

Back

Write down the unbalanced equation and count the number of atoms of each element on both sides.