Chemical Equation
The formation of water from the reaction of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas is shown in the following chemical reaction:
H2 + O2 à H2O
In the above chemical equation, H2 + O2 are the “reactants” and H2O is the “product.”
In
order to satisfy the “law of conservation of mass” chemical equations
must be balanced. The balanced chemical equation becomes:
2H2 + 1O2 à 2H2O
Standard convention omits the number “1” in any balanced equation, so the final balanced chemical equation becomes:
2H2 + O2 à 2H2O
Note
that there are 4 H atoms in both the left side and right side of the
equation; and there are 2 O atoms in both the left side and right side
of the equation— the chemical equation is therefore “balanced.”
Exercise:
1. Balance the following chemical reaction, (it may take a few trial-and-error iterations):
CO2 + H2O à C6H12O6 + O2
2. After balancing the above chemical equation, identify the different reactants and the different products.
3. What particular process is represented by the chemical equation?
No comments:
Post a Comment