Balancing equations

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.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

Front

What is the purpose of balancing chemical equations?

Back

The purpose is to ensure that the law of conservation of mass is followed, meaning that matter is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

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.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-1

Front

What is a subscript in a chemical formula?

Back

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

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.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

Front

What is the first step in balancing a chemical equation?

Back

The first step is to write down the unbalanced equation and count the number of atoms of each element on both sides.

Front

What does it mean if an equation is unbalanced?

Back

An unbalanced equation means that the number of atoms of at least one element is different on the reactant side compared to the product side.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

Front

How do you balance the equation N2 + H2 → NH3?

Back

Place a coefficient of 3 in front of H2: N2 + 3H2 → 2NH3.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

Front

What is the balanced form of the equation C3H8 + O2 → CO2 + H2O?

Back

The balanced equation is C3H8 + 5O2 → 3CO2 + 4H2O.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

Front

What is the significance of the law of conservation of mass in balancing equations?

Back

It states that mass cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction, so the total mass of reactants must equal the total mass of products.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-5