Chemical Equations and Reactions Flashcards
chemical reaction
process by which 1 or more substances are changed into 1 or more different substances
reactant
original substance in a chemical reaction
product
resulting substance in a chemical reaction
chemical equation
represents (with symbols and formulas) the identities and relative amounts of the reactants and products in a chemical reaction
indications of a chemical reaction
evolution of heat and light
production of a gas
formation of a precipitate
color change
precipitate
solid formed within a solution and produced as a result of a chemical reaction
coefficient
small whole number that appears in front of a formula in a chemical equation
indicates relative (not absolute) amount of a reactant or product
word equation
equation in which the reactants and products in a chemical reaction are represented by words
has only qualitative meaning
formula equation
equation which represents the reactants and products of a chemical reaction by their symbols or formulas
needs to be balanced in order to be deemed “complete”
→
signifies “yields” in a chemical equation
⇄
signifies “yields” in a chemical equation
used in place of a single arrow to indicate a reversible reaction
(s)
signifies “solid” or “precipitate” in a chemical equation
placed adjacent to a reactant or product
(l)
signifies “liquid” in a chemical equation
placed adjacent to a reactant or product
(aq)
signifies “aqueous” in a chemical equation
placed adjacent to a reactant or product
(g)
signifies “gaseous” in a chemical equation
placed adjacent to a reactant or product
Δ
signifies “heat” in a chemical equation
placed directly above “→”
catalyst
substance that changes the rate of a chemical reaction
can only be recovered unchanged
reversible reaction
chemical reaction in which the products re-form the original reactants
synthesis reaction
composition reaction
chemical reaction in which 2 or more substances combine to form a new compound

decomposition reaction
chemical reaction in which a single compound produces 2 or more simpler substances

electrolysis
decomposition of a substance by an electric current
single-replacement reaction
displacement reaction
chemical reaction in which 1 element replaces a similar element in a compound

product of chemical reaction between reactive metals (found in group 1 or group 2) and water
metal hydroxide and hydrogen
product of chemical reaction between non-reactive metals (not found in group 1 or group 2) and steam
metal oxide and hydrogen
double-displacement reaction
chemical reaction in which the ions of 2 compounds exchange places in an aqueous solution to form 2 new compounds
combustion reaction
chemical reaction in which a substance combines with oxygen and large amounts of energy are released in the form of light and heat
activity
ability of an element to react
activity series
list of elements
organized according to ease with which the elements undergo certain chemical reactions
used to help predict which chemical reactions will occur