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 is the law of conservation of mass?

Back

The law of conservation of mass states that mass cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction; the total mass of reactants equals the total mass of products.

Front

How do you balance a chemical equation?

Back

To balance a chemical equation, adjust the coefficients of the reactants and products to ensure that the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides.

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 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, indicating that the reaction does not obey the law of conservation of mass.

Front

Balance the equation: _Al + _HCl --> _H2 + _AlCl3

Back

2Al + 6HCl --> 3H2 + 2AlCl3

Front

Balance the equation: _Zn + _HCl --> _ZnCl2 + _H2

Back

1Zn + 2HCl --> 1ZnCl2 + 1H2

Front

What is the mass of products if 8 grams of iron and 5 grams of sulfur react?

Back

The mass of products is equal to 13 grams, as mass is conserved.

Front

Which of the following is a correctly balanced equation? 6CO2 + 6H2O --> C6H12O6 + 6O2

Back

This equation is balanced, with equal numbers of each type of atom on both sides.

Front

Identify the unbalanced equation: PbO2 + 2H2 --> 2Pb + H2O

Back

This equation is unbalanced because the number of oxygen atoms is not the same on both sides.