Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
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Chemical and Nuclear Reactions
Lesson 6-1: Balancing Chemical Equations
When most people see a dramatic chemical reaction, they think of it as
a chaotic display, with unpredictable results. Someone with training in chem-
istry will see the same reaction as an orderly, predictable process. You will
see that even dramatic chemical reactions, involving fire and heat, proceed
in predictable ways. In Chapter 5, you studied the process of naming com-
pounds, which we described as the “words” that make up the language of
chemistry. In this chapter, we will be learning more about chemical equa-
tions, which might be thought of as the “sentences” in the language of chem-
istry. Chemical equations are a series of chemical formulas, numbers, and
symbols that describe a chemical reaction, or the net results of several re-
actions. These chemical equations are essential for understanding chemis-
try as a quantitative subject.
Once again, I will draw your attention to a chemical equation that
you are probably familiar with from your study of biology, the process of
respiration.
6H
2
O + 6CO
2
This chemical equation shows us that one molecule of glucose will react
with 6 molecules of oxygen to form 6 molecules of water and 6 molecules of
carbon dioxide. The substances on the left-hand side of the arrow are called
the reactants; the substances on the right-hand side are called the prod-
ucts. It is okay to switch the order in which the reactants, and/or the prod-
ucts, appear, as long as they all stay on the proper side of the equation. In
other words, if you were asked to write the proper chemical equation for
respiration, it would be just as acceptable if you wrote your answer as:
6O
2
+ C
6
H
12
O
6
6CO
2
+ 6H
2
O
C
6
H
12
O
6
+ 6O
2
