Chemical equation

A symbolic representation of a chemical reaction using formulas for reactants and products and coefficients that express their relative amounts.

Chemical formula: A notation that uses element symbols and subscripts to show the composition of a substance. Formulas identify each reactant and product in an equation.
Balancing chemical equations: The process of adjusting coefficients so each element has the same atom count on both sides of an equation. Balancing makes the written reaction obey conservation of atoms.
Limiting reagent: The reactant consumed first, which determines the maximum amount of product a reaction can form. Equation ratios identify which reactant runs out first.
Ionic equation: A chemical equation that represents soluble ionic substances as separate ions. It expands dissolved compounds that an ordinary molecular equation may write intact.
Stoichiometric coefficient: A number placed before a chemical formula to specify the relative amount of a substance in a reaction. Coefficients set the reaction proportions without changing substance identities.
Law of conservation of mass: The principle that mass remains constant in a closed system during ordinary chemical reactions. It explains why a chemical equation must account for every atom.
Theoretical yield: The maximum product amount calculated from a reaction's stoichiometry and available reactants. Balanced coefficients convert known reactant amounts into a predicted product amount.
Thermochemical equation: A balanced chemical equation accompanied by a heat change or enthalpy value. It adds energy information not given by coefficients alone.
Chemical reaction: A process in which substances are transformed into different substances through rearrangement of atoms. An equation represents this underlying transformation symbolically.
Stoichiometry: The quantitative study of reactants and products in chemical reactions. Balanced coefficients provide the ratios used in stoichiometric calculations.

Linked from 17 pages