Chemical Reactions Flashcards

Flashcards generated from lecture notes on chemical reactions.

Balanced Chemical Equation

An equation with equal numbers of atoms of each element on either side, following the law of conservation of matter.

Chemical Equation

A representation of how a chemical reaction rearranges atoms, using words, symbols, or diagrams.

Aqueous Solution

A mixture in which a substance is dissolved in water; represented by the symbol (aq).

Chemical Formula

A symbol that shows the chemical composition of a molecule or lattice (e.g., H2O for water).

Atom

The smallest particle of an element, made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Chemical Bond

An attractive force that holds atoms together in a molecule or lattice.

Chemical Reaction

The rearrangement of atoms to form one or more new substances, where the number of each type of atom remains the same.

Chemical Symbol

One or two letters used to represent an element (first letter uppercase, second lowercase).

Coefficient

A number placed before a formula in a chemical equation.

Compound

Two or more elements joined together by chemical bonds (e.g., sodium chloride).

Element

A substance made up of only one type of atom (e.g., gold).

Law of Conservation of Matter

The principle that the number of atoms in a chemical reaction remains the same during all chemical reactions.

Physical Change

A change in matter that does not form new substances (e.g., breaking, mixing, changing state).

Molecule

A group of atoms bonded together (e.g., an oxygen gas molecule).

Periodic Table

The organization of chemical elements by atomic number, arranging elements with similar properties in the same group.

Product

A substance formed by a chemical reaction, located to the right of the arrow in a chemical equation.

Reactant

A substance that reacts to form one or more new substances, located to the left of the arrow in a chemical equation.

Reactive

Tending to take part in chemical reactions (e.g., sodium).

State Symbol

A symbol used to indicate the state of matter of a substance: (s) for solids, (l) for liquids, (g) for gases, or (aq) for aqueous solutions.

Symbol Equation

A chemical equation that uses chemical formulas to represent substances.

Structural Equation

A type of equation that shows how the atoms are rearranged, sometimes using ball-and-stick models.

Unbalanced Equation

An equation with an unequal number of atoms on either side, which must be balanced.

Subscript

A number used to show how many atoms of an element are present in a chemical formula.

Word Equation

A chemical equation that uses names to represent substances.