Balancing Equations

Flashcards covering key concepts about balancing chemical equations and related terminology.

Chemical Equation

A representation that shows what happens during a chemical reaction.

Reactants

The substances present on the left side of a chemical equation.

Chemical Equation

A representation that shows what happens during a chemical reaction.

Reactants

The substances present on the left side of a chemical equation.

Products

The substances present on the right side of a chemical equation.

YIELD

The arrow in a chemical equation that indicates the reaction proceeds to form products.

Chemical Formula

A notation that shows which elements are in a chemical compound and the number of atoms of each element.

Coefficients

The large numbers in front of chemical formulas that indicate how many molecules or atoms are present.

Subscripts

The small numbers to the bottom right of an element in a chemical formula indicating how many atoms of that element are present.

Balanced Equation

An equation with an equal number of each type of atom on both sides of the equation.

Law of Conservation of Mass

A principle stating that matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction.

Skeletal Equation

A chemical equation that uses formulas but no coefficients.

Word Equation

A chemical equation that uses only words and no formulas.

Trial and Error

The process of adjusting coefficients to balance a chemical equation.

2H2 + O2 → 2H2O

An example of a balanced equation for the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen to form water.

4Na + O2 → 2Na2O

An example of balancing sodium and oxygen to form sodium oxide.

N2 + H2 → NH3

The reaction of nitrogen gas with hydrogen gas to yield ammonia.