Balancing 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 is a coefficient in a chemical equation?

Back

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

Front

What is a subscript in a chemical formula?

Back

A subscript is a small number written to the right of an element symbol that indicates the number of atoms of that element in a molecule.

Front

How do you determine the number of hydrogen atoms in C6H12O6?

Back

Count the subscript for hydrogen, which is 12 in C6H12O6, indicating there are 12 hydrogen atoms.

Front

What is the product in a chemical reaction?

Back

The product is a substance that is formed as a result of a chemical reaction.

Front

What is the reactant in a chemical reaction?

Back

A reactant is a substance that undergoes change during a chemical reaction.

Front

How many hydrogen atoms are in 4H2O?

Back

There are 8 hydrogen atoms in 4H2O (4 x 2 = 8).

Front

What does it mean if a chemical equation is unbalanced?

Back

An unbalanced chemical equation does not have the same number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation.

Front

What is the balanced equation for Al + O2 → Al2O3?

Back

The balanced equation is 4Al + 3O2 → 2Al2O3.