CSEC Chemistry

Writing and Balancing Chemical Equations

Writing chemical equations

• 2H represents two atoms of hydrogen not bonded together. The 2 in front of the
H is called a coefficient
• H2 represents a molecule of hydrogen consisting of two atoms of hydrogen
bonded together
• 2H2 represents two molecules of hydrogen, an in total four atoms of hydrogen
• Ca(OH)2 consists of Ca2+ and 2OH-. So, the amount of each element is 1 Ca,2O
and 2H atoms
• 3H2SO4 consists of 6 H,3S and 12O atoms

❖ A coefficient is a number which precedes atoms, ions, molecules or formula units in a

balanced chemical equation that shows the relative numbers of atoms, ions,
molecules or formula units.
The conventions are used when writing chemical equations are:

• The reactants are placed on the left side of the equation and the products on the
right side with an arrow (→) separating the reactants from the products
• A plus sign (+) separates each reactant or each product.
• The physical state of the chemical is usually written as a subscript. These physical
states are:
(s)= solid, (l)=liquid), (g)=gas and (aq)=in solution (with water)
• Other chemicals and factors which are required for the reaction to occur but do not
change during the reaction can be written above the arrow e.g. catalysts a specific
temperature, a specific pressure. For example,
•
❖ A catalyst is a chemical compound which speeds up the rate of a reaction without
being used up in the process.
• If a reaction is reversible, a double arrow is used:
• When reading a chemical equation, each of the signs represents a word or
statement.
Consider the following example:
2Fe(s) + 3Cl2(g) →2FeCl3 (s)
The (+) reads ‘reacts with’ and the → reads ‘forms’ or ‘yields’
This equation reads ‘solid iron reacts with chlorine gas to yield solid iron (III)
chloride
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Balancing Chemical Equations

❖ The Law of Conservation of Mass states that matter can neither be created nor
destroyed.
❖ Early chemist noticed that in a chemical reaction, the total mass of the reactants
ALWAYS equaled the total mass of the products.
❖ Atoms in a chemical equation are neither created nor destroyed they are only
rearranged.
❖ A chemical equation that conforms to this is known as a balanced equation
❖ A balanced equation must always have the following:
• The same number of atoms of each element on the right-hand side of the equation
as there are on the left-hand side
• When an equation is balanced, the mass of the reactants will always equal the
mass of the products.
NB. When writing a chemical equation from a word equation it is important to
remember the following:

• H2, N2, O2, F2, Cl2, Br2, and I2 always exist in nature as diatomic molecules
• A chemical compound has a specific formula which cannot be altered to
help with balancing an equation
CSEC Chemistry

How to balance a chemical equation

1. Write down the correct formula for each reactant and the product.
Separate each reactant and each product with a plus sign and the
reactants from the products by an arrow
2. Write the state symbols for each reactant and products
3. Start by balancing the elements in the product immediately after the
arrow excluding hydrogen (H) and oxygen(O). Polyatomic ions often
appear unchanged from one side to the other and can be balanced as a
unit
4. Always leave the reactants or products which exist as elements in their
free state (e.g. S, Ca, Fe) until last
5. Balance hydrogen second from the last and leave oxygen until the very
last
6. Use coefficients in front of each element or compound to balance the
number of atoms on the left-hand side and the right-hand side. The
chemical formulae of the elements or compounds must not be changed,
DO NOT CHANGE ANY OF THE SUBSCRIPTS ON THE ELEMENTS OR
COMPOUNDS
7. Check all coefficients to see that they are whole numbers and in the
lowest possible ratios
Examples
1. Magnesium burns in oxygen to form magnesium oxide

2. N2(g) + H2(g) NH3(g)

3. Fe(s) + H2SO4(aq) Fe2(SO4)3(aq) + H2(g)

4. C3H8(g)+ O2(g) CO2(g) + H2O(l)

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5. Ca(HCO3)2 (aq) + HCl (aq) CaCl2(aq)+ CO2(g) +H2O (l)

Writing Ionic Equations

A chemical reaction that involves ions can be written as a molecular equation or as an

ionic equation. An ionic equation involves writing soluble salts as individual ions to
determine which ions have undergone change during the reaction.

NB Covalent compounds do not consist of ions

If two or more of the ions in a chemical reaction can form either a precipitate, a
covalent compound such as water or a gas that can escape, then the reaction can be
written as an ionic equation.

A precipitate is an insoluble solid that forms when two aqueous solutions are added
together
Ionic equations show only the atoms or ions which actually take part in a reaction
and, as a result, end up in a different state from the one in which they started

To determine if a compound will form a precipitate, the solubility of the compound in

water needs to be known. The solubility of compounds is summarized in the table
below.

Table .1. Solubility Rules

Solubility Rule
All Group I metal salts are soluble
All ammonium salts are soluble
All nitrates and ethanoates are
soluble
All chlorides, bromides and iodides
are soluble
All sulphates are soluble
All carbonates and phosphates are
insoluble
Exceptions
None
None
Silver ethanoate is sparingly soluble
Except those of lead and silver, lead
salts are soluble in hot water
Except those of lead and barium.
Calcium sulphate (CaSO4) and silver
sulphate (Ag2SO4) are slightly soluble
Except those of Group I metals and
ammonium

All metal oxides and hydroxides are Except those of Group I metals and
insoluble ammonium; calcium hydroxide
(Ca(OH)2) and barium hydroxide
(Ba(OH)2) are moderately soluble
CSEC Chemistry

The following steps should be followed when writing ionic equations:

1. Write balanced chemical equation for the reaction.
2. Rewrite the equation but show any ions that are present in solution as
individual ions.
3. Delete any ions which remain unchanged i.e. which are in solution on both
sides of the equation. These are called spectator ions and they do not take part
in the reaction
4. Rewrite the ionic equation showing only the atoms or ions which change i.e.
those which actually take part in the reaction
5. Cancel the coefficients to the lowest possible ratio if necessary
Spectator ions are ions that do not seem to take part in the reaction and are not
chemically changed in the reaction.

NB. Acids such as hydrochloric acid (HCl (aq)), nitric acid (HNO3(aq)), are in aqueous
solution they ionize to from hydrogen ions or H+ ions and negative anions
Examples

1. Write the ionic equation for the reaction between lead nitrate solution and
sodium chloride solution to produce insoluble lead chloride and sodium nitrate
solution.
i. Write the balanced chemical equation:
ii. Rewrite the equation showing ions present in solution as
individual ions
iii. Delete the ions that remain unchanged
iv. Rewrite the ionic equation
2. Write the ionic equation for the reaction between potassium hydroxide and
sulfuric acid (H2SO4(aq)) to produce potassium sulfate and water.
i.

ii.

iii.

iv.
3. Write the ionic equation for the reaction between magnesium and hydrochloric
acid (HCl(aq)) to produce magnesium and hydrogen gas
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.

NB. Always ensure that you give the correct state symbols when writing
ionic equations and that the equations balance
CSEC Chemistry

Types of chemical reactions

There are seven main types of chemical reactions which are described
below.
1. Synthesis reactions
Synthesis reactions are reactions in which two or more substances
combine chemically to form a single product.
A synthesis reaction is generally symbolized by:

A+ B AB
Examples

• 2Mg(s) + O2(g) 2MgO(s)

• 2FeCl2(s) + Cl2(g) 2FeCl3(s)
2. Decomposition reactions
Decomposition reactions are reactions in which a single reactant is broken
down into two or more products. A decomposition will occur if the compound is
unstable, if the compound is heated (thermal decomposition) or if an electric
current is passed through the compound when in the liquid state or dissolved in
aqueous solution (electrolysis).
A decomposition reaction is generally symbolized by :

• AB A +B
Examples
• CaCO3(s) heat CaO(s) + CO2(g)
• 2KClO(s) heat 2KCl(s) +3O2(g)

3. Single displacement reactions

A single displacement reaction involves the reaction between an element in
its free state and a compound where the element takes the place of (displaces)
another element from the compound.
A single displacement reaction is generally symbolized by:
• A +BC AC +B
Examples with their ionic equations
• 2Al(s) + 3CuSO4(aq) Al2(SO4)3(aq) + 3 Cu(s)
• 2Al(s) + 3Cu (aq)
2+ Al3+(aq) + 3Cu(s)
Example 2
• Cl2(g) +2KBr(aq) 2KCl(aq) + Br2(aq)

• Cl2(g) + 2Br-(aq) 2Cl- (aq) +Br2(aq)

4. Ionic precipitation reactions
Ionic precipitation reactions are sometimes referred to as double
displacement reactions. They mostly involve compounds which are in solution,
where the compounds exchange ions.
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An ionic precipitation reaction is generally symbolised by:

• AB + CD AD +CB
In order for ionic precipitation to occur one or both of the products must be
incapable of undergoing the reverse reaction, generally because they form an
insoluble precipitate.
Examples of ionic precipitation reactions are:
• AgNO3(aq) +KBr(aq) AgBr(s) + KNO3(aq)
• Ag (aq) +Br (aq)
+ - AgBr(s)
Example 2
• BaCl2(aq) +Na2SO4(aq) BaSO4(s) + 2NaCl(aq)
• Ba (aq)+ SO4 (aq)
2+ 2- BaCl2(s)
5. Neutralization reactions
Neutralization reactions are reactions between a base(or an alkali ) and the
products formed are a salt and water.
An example of a neutralization reaction is the reaction between sodium hydroxide
and hydrochloric acid:
NaOH(aq) +HCl(aq) NaCl(aq) + H2O(l)
Ionic Equation: OH- (aq) + H+(aq) H2O(l)
6. Redox reactions
Redox reactions or oxidation- reduction reactions are chemical reactions in
which one reactant is oxidised and the other is reduced or both change in
oxidation number.
7. Reversible reactions
There are certain chemical reactions which under certain conditions are
reversible, i.e. the products can react to produce the original reactants again.
These are known as reversible chemical reactions. Most reactions are not
reversible, they can only proceed in one direction.
If a reaction is reversible a double arrow is used . In a reversible reaction we refer
to the forward reaction as proceeding from left to right and the reverse reaction as
proceeding from right to left.
An example of a reversible reaction is the heating of ammonium chloride.
When ammonium chloride solid is heated it sublimes into ammonia and hydrogen
chloride gas. On cooling the two gases recombine to form ammonium chloride
again.

NH4Cl(s) NH3(g) +HCl(g)