Meaning & use
chemical equation
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Meaning
nouncountablechemistrytechnical
A written way of showing a chemical reaction, using symbols and formulas for the starting substances on one side and the new substances on the other.
Grammar: Countable: write a chemical equation, balance the chemical equations.
Patterns
- write a chemical equation for something
- balance a chemical equation
The teacher asked us to write a chemical equation for burning methane.
A correct chemical equation has the same number of each atom on both sides.
The chemical equation shows hydrogen and oxygen combining to form water.
Word forms
| plural | chemical equations |
|---|
Common combinations
- balance a chemical equation
- Students must balance a chemical equation before they can calculate quantities.
- write a chemical equation
- Write a chemical equation for the reaction of sodium with water.
- balanced chemical equation
- A balanced chemical equation follows the conservation of mass.
- unbalanced chemical equation
- An unbalanced chemical equation does not describe a real reaction.
Synonyms and how they differ
- word equation
- A word equation uses names instead of symbols, so it is less precise than a chemical equation.
- formula
- Formula describes the make-up of a single substance, while a chemical equation shows a whole reaction.
Word family
Commonly confused: chemical equation or chemical formula?
chemical equation vs chemical formula
A chemical formula shows the elements in one compound, such as H2O, whereas a chemical equation shows how substances change into other substances.
Practice
What must be true of a balanced chemical equation?
Choose one answer.
A balanced equation has equal numbers of each atom on both sides, so mass is conserved. The reactants and products can differ in number and kind.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chemical equation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.