Chemical Reactions and Aqueous Solutions

Ch.8 flashcards composed of 8.1, 8.2, and 8.6

Reactants

Substances on the left-side of an equation that undergoes change.

Products

Substances on the right-side of an equation that are the results of reactants.

Coefficients

Numbers in front of a chemical formula that indicate how many moles of that substance are present (ratio).

State

Indicates the physical matter of a reactant/product, such as liquid (l), gas (g), solid (s), and aqueous (aq).

Aqueous

A mixture of a reactant/product dissolved in water.

Balancing Chemical Equations

Process of ensuring the number of each atom is the same in reactants and products, using the smallest whole-number ratio for coefficients.

Synthesis Reaction

A type of reaction where simple reactants combine to form a single product (e.g., rusting of iron).

Decomposition Reaction

A type of reaction where a single reactant breaks down into less complete products (e.g., water).

Single-Replacement Reaction

A reaction where an element reacts with a compound and displaces one of the elements in that compound (e.g., zinc with hydrochloric acid).

Double-Replacement Reaction

A reaction where two ionic compounds exchange ions to form two new compounds (e.g., lead (II) nitrate with potassium iodide).

Acids

Compounds written with H at the beginning of the formula.

Bases

Compounds written with OH at the end of the formula.

Salt

Refers to ionic compounds that do not contain H+/OH-.

Combustion Reaction

A rapid reaction combining a substance with oxygen, often involving hydrocarbons.

Hydrocarbon

Compounds composed of carbon and hydrogen that react with excess oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water.

Generic Formulas

Representations of different types of chemical reactions (e.g., A+B→C+D for a regular chemical equation).

Driving Force

The formation of stable, lower energy products in a reaction.

Precipitation Reaction

A double-replacement reaction that results in the formation of a lower energy solid ionic compound.

Acid-Base Reaction

A reaction between an acid (H+) and a base (OH-).

Oxidation States

Numbers used to keep track of electron transfer in redox reactions.

Rules for Assigning Oxidation States

Guidelines for determining oxidation states in compounds (e.g., neutral elements have an oxidation state of 0).

Redox Reactions

Reactions involving the transfer of electrons, where one reactant loses electrons (oxidation) and another gains electrons (reduction).

Oxidized

Refers to the reactant that loses electrons and is the reducing agent.

Reduced

Refers to the reactant that gains electrons and is the oxidizing agent.

Quick Ways to Identify Redox

Indicators such as a pure element on one side of the equation and combustion reactions being always redox.