Balancing Chemical Equations

Flashcards covering key concepts related to balancing chemical equations.

Chemical equation

Describes a chemical change.

Reactant

The chemical(s) you start with before the reaction, written on the left side of the equation.

Product

The new chemical(s) formed by the reaction, written on the right side of the equation.

Subscript

Shows how many atoms of an element are in a molecule.

Coefficient

Shows how many molecules there are of a particular chemical.

Law of Conservation of Mass

In a chemical reaction, matter is neither created nor destroyed.

Balanced Equation

An equation that obeys the Law of Conservation, meaning the number and type of atoms going into a reaction is the same as coming out.

Example of a balanced equation

CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O.

Burning of a tree example

Demonstrates that mass is conserved, as the mass of the ashes plus the mass of the smoke equals the original mass of the tree.

Balancing tips

1. Matter cannot be created or destroyed. 2. Subscripts cannot be changed. 3. Coefficients can only be changed.