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 involved.

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 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 balance the equation: Mg + O2 → MgO?

Back

The balanced equation is 2Mg + O2 → 2MgO.

Front

What is the 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.

Front

How do you determine the coefficients needed to balance an equation?

Back

You can determine coefficients by adjusting the numbers in front of the reactants and products to ensure equal numbers of each type of atom on both sides.

Front

What is the balanced equation for the reaction of aluminum and hydrochloric acid?

Back

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

Front

What is the balanced equation for the combustion of hydrogen?

Back

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