Balanced and Unbalanced Equations

Front

What is a balanced equation?

Back

A balanced equation has the same number of each type of atom on both sides of the equation, indicating that mass is conserved during the reaction.

Front

What is an unbalanced equation?

Back

An unbalanced equation has a different number of atoms of one or more elements on each side, meaning mass is not conserved.

Front

What does the law of conservation of mass state?

Back

The law of conservation of mass states that the total mass of the products of a chemical reaction is equal to the total mass of the reactants.

Front

How do you determine if a chemical equation is balanced?

Back

Count the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation. If they are equal, the equation is balanced.

Front

What is a coefficient in a chemical equation?

Back

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

Front

How many elements are in the compound CO₂?

Back

There are 2 elements in the compound CO₂: carbon (C) and oxygen (O).

Front

How many elements are in the compound NaCl?

Back

There are 2 elements in the compound NaCl: sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl).

Front

What coefficient should be used to balance the equation: H₂ + O₂ → ___ H₂O?

Back

2 (The balanced equation is 2 H₂ + O₂ → 2 H₂O).

Front

What is the purpose of balancing chemical equations?

Back

The purpose of balancing chemical equations is to ensure that the law of conservation of mass is upheld, showing that matter is neither created nor destroyed.

Front

What does it mean if an equation is not balanced?

Back

If an equation is not balanced, it means that the reaction does not conserve mass, indicating that the number of atoms of some elements is different on each side.