Scribd
Upload
34 views

Notes For Unit

The document discusses chemical equations and balancing chemical reactions. It defines key terms like reactants, products, and coefficients. It explains that a chemical equation represents a chemical reaction and must obey the laws of conservation of mass, atoms, electrical charge, and energy. The steps to balance a chemical equation are described as ensuring the number of atoms on each side of the reaction are equal. Coefficients rather than subscripts should be adjusted to balance equations.

Uploaded by

TajiriMollel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
34 views

Notes For Unit

The document discusses chemical equations and balancing chemical reactions. It defines key terms like reactants, products, and coefficients. It explains that a chemical equation represents a chemical reaction and must obey the laws of conservation of mass, atoms, electrical charge, and energy. The steps to balance a chemical equation are described as ensuring the number of atoms on each side of the reaction are equal. Coefficients rather than subscripts should be adjusted to balance equations.

Uploaded by

TajiriMollel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Name:________ Block:________ Date:_________

CHEMISTRY 11 CHEMICAL REACTIONS AND EQUATIONS NOTES

6.1 Intro to Chemical Equations

A chemical reaction is a process in which one or more substances are converted into new
substances with different physical and chemical properties.

During a chemical reaction, bonds are broken, atoms are rearranged, and new bonds are
formed.

Some evidence that a chemical reaction have occurred are:

- Temperature change
- Colour change
- Phase change

A Chemical Equation is used to represent a reaction. The general form is as follows:

Reactants Products

Reactant: a substance that enters into a chemical reaction

Product: a substance that is produced by a chemical reaction

The equation can use either words or symbols to represent the reaction:

Example: 2Na + Cl2 2NaCl

Sodium and chlorine react to form sodium chloride

NOTE: Dont forget the diatomics!

Symbols/Words

+, plus, add, react, and

, produces, forms makes as time passes

3H2O

3 is the coefficient: the number of molecules or moles of water

2 is the subscript: the number of hydrogen atoms


6.2 The Conservation Laws

Some vocabulary:

System: the part of the universe being studied

Ex. If I want to know about how a beaker of hot water cools over time, the beaker and the
water are the system. If I want to know how the air changes temperature as this
occurs, then the system is the beaker, the water, and the air.

2 types of systems:

a) Open: a system where things (mass, energy) can enter and leave (think of a beaker on a
hotplate)
b) Closed: a system where nothing can enter or leave (think of a thermos)

4 Conversation Laws for Closed Systems:

The Law of Conservation of:

1) Mass: the mass at the beginning and the end of a chemical reaction is the same (mass of
reactants = mass of products)

2) Atoms: the total number and type of atoms in a closed system does not change during a
chemical reaction (number of atoms on the reactant side equals the number of atoms on
the product side)

3) Electrical charge: the total electrical charge in a closed system does not change during a
chemical reaction (the overall charge of the reactants is equal to the overall charge of the
products)

4) Energy: the total energy in a closed system does not change during a chemical reaction
(the type of energy may change, but the total amount remains constant energy cannot be
destroyed or created)
6.3 Balancing Chemical Reactions

- ensures that mass, atoms, and electrical charge are conserved!

Step 1: Right out the chemical equation

Step 2: Draw a line down the middle where the arrow is

Step 3: List the atoms that are on the reactant side. (using the order given below)

Step 4: Using the same order as the reactant side, list the atoms that are on the product side.

Step 5: Write out how many of each atom you have on either side

Step 6: Balance from top to bottom, remembering to make changes for all atoms that are
affected.

Some key tips:

Balance metals first and then non-metals (left to right along the periodic table)
Then do polyatomics (if the same polyatomic ion is on both sides (reactants and products)
then dont split it up)

Ex. Na2SO4 + Ba(NO3)2 --> 2NaNO3 + BaSO4 (keep NO3 and SO4 together)

Ca(OH)2 + 2HCl CaCl2 + 2H2O (separate OH into H and O)

Balance C, H, and then O last

NOTE: You CANNOT change subscripts when trying to balance the number of atoms (it
changes the compound!). You can ONLY change the COEFFICIENTS!

A coefficient affects every atom in the formula that it is beside

Ex. 3H2O 3Na3PO4 2Mg(OH)2

Must always reduce coefficients to lowest number

Ex. 4H2 + 2O2 4H2O must become 2H2 + O2 2H2O

You might also like