Chapter 3: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and definitions related to stoichiometry and chemical reactions.

Stoichiometry

The area of study that examines the quantities of substances consumed and produced in chemical reactions.

Law of Conservation of Mass

States that in all chemical reactions, matter is neither created nor destroyed; the total mass remains constant.

Reactants

Substances that are consumed in a chemical reaction, typically found on the left side of a chemical equation.

Products

Substances that are produced in a chemical reaction, typically found on the right side of a chemical equation.

Coefficients

Numerical factors in a chemical equation that indicate the number of moles of each substance involved in the reaction.

Balancing Equations

Adjusting the coefficients of a chemical equation to ensure the same number of each type of atom on both sides of the equation.

Combination Reaction

A type of reaction where two or more substances combine to form one product.

Decomposition Reaction

A reaction where one substance breaks down into two or more simpler substances.

Combustion Reaction

Rapid reactions that produce flame, usually involving hydrocarbons that yield carbon dioxide and water as products.

Molar Mass

The mass of one mole of a substance, typically expressed in grams per mole.

Percent Composition

The percentage by mass of each element in a compound, calculated using the formula: (mass of element in compound / total mass of compound) x 100.

Avogadro's Number (NA)

The number of constituent particles (atoms, molecules, or ions) in one mole of a substance, approximately 6.022 x 10^23.

Limiting Reactant

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

Theoretical Yield

The maximum amount of product that can be produced from a given amount of reactants, based on stoichiometric calculations.

Actual Yield

The amount of product actually produced in a chemical reaction.

Percent Yield

The ratio of the actual yield to the theoretical yield, expressed as a percentage: (actual yield / theoretical yield) x 100.

Empirical Formula

The simplest whole-number ratio of the atoms of the elements in a compound.

Molecular Formula

A formula that shows the actual number of atoms of each element in a molecule of the compound.