BALANCING CHEMICAL REACTIONS

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 does it mean to balance a chemical equation?

Back

Balancing a chemical equation means adjusting the coefficients in front of the reactants and products to ensure that the number of atoms for each element is equal on both sides.

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; it can only change forms.

Front

How do you identify 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.

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 in the reaction.

Front

What is the purpose of balancing chemical equations?

Back

The purpose of balancing chemical equations is to accurately represent the quantities of reactants and products involved in a chemical reaction.

Front

What is the first step in balancing a chemical equation?

Back

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

Front

What is the significance of subscripts in a chemical formula?

Back

Subscripts indicate the number of atoms of each element in a molecule; they cannot be changed when balancing equations.

Front

How do you balance the equation C₃H₈ + O₂ → CO₂ + H₂O?

Back

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

Front

What is the balanced form of the equation Na + Cl₂ → NaCl?

Back

The balanced equation is 2Na + Cl₂ → 2NaCl.