Describing Chemical Reactions

Balancing Chemical Equations

Download 0.57 Mb.

Page	2/4
Date	16.12.2020
Size	0.57 Mb.
	#54465

1 2 3 4

Chemistry - Balancing Equations Types of Reactions Notes

Balancing Chemical Equations

Date:

Name:

Chemical equations represent a chemical reaction. Sometimes they are not balanced. This must be done before the equation can be used in any meaningful way. All chemical calculations must be done with a balanced equation.

A balanced equation has equal numbers of each type of atom on each side of the equation. The Law of Conservation of Mass says “in a chemical reaction, the total mass of the reactants equals the total mass of the products.” Another way of saying it is "matter can be neither created nor destroyed." Therefore, we must finish our chemical reaction with the same number of atoms of each element as when we started.
Example:

H₂ + O₂  H₂O

2 atoms hydrogen + 2 atoms oxygen  2 atoms hydrogen + 1 atom oxygen
This equation is not balanced. This means that there are unequal numbers of atoms on each side. Note there are 2 atoms of hydrogen on each side, but there are 2 atoms of oxygen on the left side and only 1 atom of oxygen on the right side.

Download 0.57 Mb.

Share with your friends:

1 2 3 4