Chemical equations for beginners

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To understand nature, you have to be able to describe it. Chemical processes are described with reaction equations. Chemistry can only be understood if you can set it up.

The chemical equation describes how a certain compound is created.
The chemical equation describes how a certain compound is created.

What do chemical equations look like?

  • Chemical Equations represent what exactly happens in a chemical reaction between two or more substances.
  • The left side is called the educt side because this is where the starting materials of the reaction - the educts - are located. Similarly, the right side of the reaction is called the product side.
  • There is an arrow pointing to the right between the educts and products, since the reaction proceeds from the educts to the products.
  • Both sides of the reaction equation must have the same ionic charge and the same number of atoms (the same elements). An example: H2 + O2 -> 2H2O.
  • It is also possible that the starting materials do not react completely to form the products. Then an equilibrium is established between the starting materials and the products. In the reaction equation for a chemical equilibrium, there are two arrows between the reactant and product side - one points to the right, the other to the left.
    • Solve chemical equations - this is how it works

    Solving chemical equations is easy when you have a few basic ...

  • Establishing such chemical equations must be practiced.

Exercise in setting up reaction equations

When methane gas is burned, water and a gas are produced. What does the reaction equation look like?

  1. So far you know the following: CH4 + x -> H2O + gas.
  2. Now think about it: where does the oxygen on the product side come from? Solution: Burning usually means a reaction with elemental oxygen from the air. From this it follows for the reaction equation: CH4 + O2 -> H2O + gas.
  3. If you look at the material balance of the equation, you will see that you are now missing one carbon atom, two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom on the product side. Do you know a gas that can be built up from these atoms and that is formed in many burns? Solution: carbon dioxide! So: CH4 + O2 -> H2O + CO2.
  4. What does the material balance look like? 1O is missing on the left and 2H is missing on the right. With a little thought, you finally come to the reaction equation CH4 + 2O2 -> 2H2O + CO2.

Another chemistry exercise

If you put a solution of silver nitrate in a saline solution, a white solid will precipitate. What is the reaction equation?

  1. At first you only know: NaCl + AgNO3 -> solid (+ x).
  2. Now the question is: which white solid that is made up of the ions Na+, Ag+, Cl- or NO3- is insoluble in water? Answer: silver chloride. From this it follows for the reaction equation: NaCl + AgNO3 -> AgCl (+ x).
  3. If you now look at the material balance of the equation, you notice that one Na atom, one N atom and three O atoms are still missing on the product side - or in other words, one Na+-Ion and a NO3--Ion. This gives the reaction equation AgNO quite simply3 + NaCl -> AgCl + NaNO3

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