Chemical Equations & Stoichiometric Coefficients

Vocabulary flashcards covering chemical equations, stoichiometric coefficients, and the Law of Conservation of Mass from the lecture notes.

Chemical equations

Representations that use chemical symbols to represent a chemical reaction, with reactants on the left and products on the right, separated by an arrow.

Stoichiometric coefficients

The smallest whole numbers placed in front of a chemical equation that indicate relative molar amounts of reactants and products.

Law of Conservation of Mass

A principle stating that the total amount of matter remains constant, meaning the total mass of the reactants equals the total mass of the products (mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction).

Antoine Lavoisier

The scientist who formulated the Law of Conservation of Mass.

Closed system

A system where no matter can enter or leave.

Theory of relativity ($E=mc^2$)

Albert Einstein's theory showing that mass and energy are equivalent and can be converted into each other, which slightly modifies the Law of Conservation of Mass in nuclear reactions.