U3S9 Balancing Chemical Equations (Video Notes)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the Balancing Chemical Equations lesson (reactants/products, coefficients/subscripts, conservation of mass, and examples like ammonia and the Haber process).

Reactants

Substances on the left side of a chemical equation that undergo a reaction.

Products

Substances on the right side of a chemical equation that are formed as a result of the reaction.

Subscripts

Small numbers in a chemical formula that indicate the number of atoms of each element within a molecule.

Coefficients

Numbers in front of formulas that indicate how many molecules or formula units participate in a reaction.

Atom

The basic unit of a chemical element; the smallest unit that retains the properties of that element.

Molecule

Two or more atoms bonded together; the smallest unit of a compound that can act as a separate unit.

Balance

To adjust a chemical equation so the number of each type of atom is the same on both sides.

Balanced chemical equation

An equation in which the numbers of all atoms on the reactant side equal those on the product side.

Law of conservation of mass

Mass is conserved in a chemical reaction; total mass of reactants equals total mass of products.

Ammonia

NH3, a compound used in cleaning products; composed of one nitrogen atom and three hydrogen atoms.

NH3

Chemical formula for ammonia.

Haber process

Industrial synthesis of ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen: N2 + 3H2 → 2NH3.

KClO3

Potassium chlorate; decomposes to potassium chloride (KCl) and oxygen gas (O2).

KCl

Potassium chloride; product formed when potassium chlorate decomposes.

O2

Oxygen gas; diatomic molecule produced in some reactions.

Magnesium

Mg, a reactive metal; in one lesson it reacts with water to form magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2) and hydrogen gas (H2).

Magnesium hydroxide

Mg(OH)2, a product of magnesium reacting with water.

Hydrogen gas

H2, diatomic molecule produced in some reactions.

Nitrogen gas

N2, diatomic molecule that reacts with hydrogen in the Haber process.

Oxygen gas

O2, diatomic molecule produced in decomposition and other reactions.