Meaning & use

chemical equation

noun·Academic

A symbolic representation of a chemical reaction showing the reactants and products using chemical formulas.

See it in a sentence

The chemical equation for burning methane shows it combining with oxygen to form carbon dioxide and water.

Students learned to balance a chemical equation so both sides have equal atoms.

A note on using this word

Must be "balanced," meaning the same number of each type of atom appears on both sides, reflecting the conservation of mass.

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