Balancing Chemical Reactions Flashcard

Front

What is a balanced chemical equation?

Back

A balanced chemical 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 chemical equation?

Back

An unbalanced chemical equation does not have the same number of each type of atom on both sides, meaning that mass is not conserved.

Front

What does the Law of Conservation of Mass state?

Back

The Law of Conservation of Mass states that the mass of the reactants must equal the mass of the products in a chemical reaction.

Front

What are reactants in a chemical reaction?

Back

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

Front

What are products in a chemical reaction?

Back

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

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 the significance of coefficients in a chemical equation?

Back

Coefficients indicate the number of molecules or moles of a substance involved in the reaction and help balance the equation.

Front

What is the role of subscripts in a chemical formula?

Back

Subscripts indicate the number of atoms of each element in a molecule. They are not changed when balancing equations.

Front

Give an example of a balanced chemical equation.

Back

2H2 + O2 -> 2H2O is a balanced equation because there are 4 hydrogen atoms and 2 oxygen atoms on both sides.

Front

Give an example of an unbalanced chemical equation.

Back

H2 + O2 -> H2O is unbalanced because there are 2 oxygen atoms on the left and only 1 on the right.