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Balancing Equations
Parts of chemical equation and balancing
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| reactant | starting material in chemical equation |
| catalyst | speeds up chemical reaction |
| product | ending material in a chemical reaction |
| monatomic | means 1 atom |
| diatomic | means 2 atoms |
| tetratomic | means 4 atoms |
| synthesis reaction | A + B --> AB |
| skeleton equation | chemical equation without coefficients |
| coefficient | number placed in front of element or compound to balance equation |
| subscript | number never changed to balance equation; tells number of atoms |
| decomposition reaction | AB --> A + B |
| H, N, O , F , Cl , Br, I | list of diatomic elements |
| P and As | list of teratomic elements |
| law of conservation of mass | states that mass is not created or destroyed (so the number of atoms must be the same on both sides) |