Balancing Chemical 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.

Front

What are reactants in a chemical equation?

Back

Reactants are the substances that undergo a chemical change in a 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 is the purpose of balancing chemical equations?

Back

The purpose is to ensure that the law of conservation of mass is followed, meaning the number of atoms of each element is the same before and after the reaction.

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 do you balance the equation P4 + O2 --> P2O3?

Back

The balanced equation is 1 P4 + 3 O2 --> 2 P2O3.

Front

What does the arrow in a chemical equation represent?

Back

The arrow represents the direction of the reaction, indicating that reactants are transformed into products.

Front

What is the difference between a subscript and a coefficient?

Back

A subscript indicates the number of atoms of an element in a molecule, while a coefficient indicates the number of molecules or moles.

Front

How do you determine the number of atoms in a compound?

Back

Count the number of atoms of each element, which is indicated by the subscripts in the chemical formula.

Front

What is the balanced equation for 2NaCl + CaO --> ?

Back

The balanced equation is 2NaCl + CaO --> 1 Na2O + CaCl2.