chemical equations Flashcards
what is a chemical equation
A chemical reaction is a process in which substances interact to form different substances by breaking, forming or rearranging their chemical bonds
which substances can take part in chemical equations
The substances that take part in chemical compounds can be either ionic or covalent compounds, as well as atoms, ions or molecules of some elements
what are reactants
Reactants are the substances that are combining or reacting together
products
The products are the new substances produced by the reactions
chemical reactions vs equations
Chemical reactions are written as chemical equations, with the reactants on the left and the products on the right
what is the rule for balancing
Products must contain the same amount and type of elements as were in the reactants
Products never contain different elements than the reactants
why must equations be balanced
Equations must be balanced due to the law of conservation of matter (matter cannot be created nor destroyed, but only change forms)
how do you balance an equation
To balance an equation, you must make sure that the number of atoms in the reactants are the same that are in the product
Numbers in front of formulars are called the coefficients and indicate the number of molecules of each reactant and product
word equation
reactant A + reactant B –> product C
chemical equation
A(s) + B(l) —-> C(g) + D(aq)
what is a chemical formula
Chemical formulas or symbols for each reactant and product
what are state subscripts
- State subscripts to describe what state each chemical is in
what are the state subscripts
- (s) = solid
- (l) = liquid
- (g) = gas
- (aq) = aqueous: this means that the substance is dissolved in water to form a solution
why are chemical equatiosn used
We represent chemical reactions with chemical equations.
how are they structured
The substances on the left side of the equation are the reactants, and the substances on the right side are the products. We often specify the state of each reactant or product in parentheses next to the formula.
example of methane
The reaction occurring in a natural gas flame is methane (CH4) reacting with oxygen (O2) to form carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O).
