Balancing Chemical Equations

Chemical Reaction

A chemical change where reactants transform into products with different properties.

Indicators of a Chemical Reaction:

Coefficient

Large numbers indicating the number of molecules in a chemical equation.

Subscript

Small numbers showing the number of atoms in a chemical formula.

Reactants

The starting materials in a chemical reaction, showing the number of atoms for each element.

Products

Substances produced in a chemical reaction, equal to the reactants in the chemical equation.

Yields

Represents the result of a chemical reaction in a chemical equation.

Precipitate

Solid formed as evidence of a chemical reaction.

Law of Mass Conservation

States that the number of atoms remains constant in a chemical reaction.

Balanced Equation

Chemical equation where the number of atoms for each element in the reaction equals the products' total charge.

Unbalanced Equation (Skeletal Equation)

When the number of atoms in reactants doesn't match the products.

Chemical Equation Writing

Involves listing reactants, products, and using the arrow (yields) to show the direction of the reaction.

Products vs

Products are the end results of a reaction with different physical and chemical properties.

(s) = Solid, (l) = Liquid, (g) = Gas, (aq) = Aqueous or dissolved in water.

Diatomic Elements

Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine.

Balancing Chemical Equations

Involves changing coefficients to balance the number of atoms on both sides.

Coefficient

Indicates the number of molecules present in a formula.

Subscripts

Indicate the number of elements present in a chemical formula.