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 a chemical reaction.

Front

What does the arrow in a chemical equation represent?

Back

The arrow represents 'yields' or 'produces', indicating the direction of the reaction from reactants to products.

Front

What is a coefficient in a chemical equation?

Back

A coefficient is the large number in front of a chemical formula that indicates how many molecules or moles of that substance are involved in the reaction.

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 the law of conservation of mass?

Back

The law of conservation of mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction; the total mass of reactants equals the total mass of products.

Front

What are reactants in a chemical equation?

Back

Reactants are the starting substances that undergo a chemical change in a reaction, found on the left side of the equation.

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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.

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What is the significance of subscripts in a chemical formula?

Back

Subscripts indicate the number of atoms of each element in a molecule; for example, H2O has 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom.

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How do you identify the limiting reactant in a chemical reaction?

Back

The limiting reactant is the substance that is completely consumed first in a reaction, limiting the amount of product formed.

Front

What is a skeleton equation?

Back

A skeleton equation is a chemical equation that shows the reactants and products but not their coefficients, indicating the types of substances involved.