Writing and Balancing Chemical Equations

Question 1

describes identities and quantities of substances undergoing a chemical (or physical) change

Answer 1

Chemical Equations

Question 2

the starting compounds - the left side

Answer 2

Reactants

Question 3

the final compounds - the right side

Answer 3

Products

Question 4

Notations used in Chemical Reactions

• separates reactants from products; usually read as ‘yields’.

Answer 4

Arrow (→)

Question 5

Notations used in Chemical Reactions
- separates individual substances in each
side

Answer 5

Plus Sign (+) -

Question 6

Notations used in Chemical Reactions

• (s) solid, (l) liquid, (g) gas, and (aq) aqueous

Answer 6

State of Compound or Molecules

Question 7

part of the chemical formula of reactants and products

Answer 7

Subscript

Question 8

placed in front of formulas to indicate
number of molecules of the substance

Answer 8

Coefficients

Question 9

this law states that “Atoms are neither created nor destroyed; they are conserved and are rearranged in the reaction.”

Answer 9

Law of Conservation of Mass

Question 10

Steps in Balancing a Chemical Equation

Answer 10

1. Inspect the chemical reaction and identify the most complex substance
2. Starting with that substance, choose an element that appears only once in the reactant and only once in the
   product side
3. In the case of polyatomic ions (if it appears on the sides of the chemical equation), balance the polyatomic ions as a unit
4. Balance the remaining atoms in the equations
5. Check and count the number of atoms of each kind on both sides of the equation to be sure that the chemical equation is balanced