Chemical Equations

Evidence of Chemical Reactions

• Chemical Reactions – When atoms of one or more substances are rearranged to form new and

• Also called a
• Evidence of chemical reaction (change) :
o Change in
ƒ Increase in temperature –
ƒ Decrease in temperature –
o Change in
o Produces a
o Gives off
o Forms a precipitate (solid that does
• Chemical reactions produce new, different substances with new,
• Chemical reactions require energy. Some reactions return more energy than it

Writing Chemical Equations

• Reactants – starting substances. These react! They are on the
• Products – ending substances. These are formed during the reaction. These are produced! They
are on the
• Arrow – shows the direction of the reaction. It is not an equal sign. It means “yield” or
“produces.” It separates the reactants
• Plus sign (+) – separates the
• Subscripts – used to show the physical state of the reactants
o (s) or (cr) – solid or crystal, does
o (l) –
o (g) –
o (aq) – in aqueous solution – the substances are dissolved in water. These are
• Coefficients – whole numbers in front of the substances to show the ratio of reactants and
products. These show the
• The coefficients are adjusted to satisfy the Law of Conservation of Mass. You have to have
the same number of each type of element before the reaction as
• Chemical equations allow us to calculate how much reactants we need to start with and how
much

Balancing Chemical Equations

• We change the coefficients so that the number of each type of element is the same before
the change as
• DO NOT change the chemical formulas. These are set and are the reactants and
• DO NOT change the subscripts of the reactants and products. You will change
• Determine the reactants and products. Sometimes it is helpful to write it in words. (word
equation). Don’t forget
• Write the chemical formulas for the reactants and
• Balance the equation – this is trial and

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• Diatomic Molecules -
• General Guidelines
o Use
o CHANGE THE COEFFICIENTS
o Check the atom balance – it may already be
o Balance the different types of atoms,
o Balance the atoms that appear only once on each side of the
o Balance polyatomic ions that appear on both sides of the equation as.
o Balance hydrogen and
o Adjust the coefficients to the lowest
o Check the atom balance when

Examples
1. Zinc and hydrochloric acid react together to form zinc(II) chloride and hydrogen gas.

2. Sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide react together to form sodium sulfate and water.

3. Ammonium chloride and calcium hydroxide react to yield calcium chloride, ammonia, and
water.

4. Chlorine gas reacts with potassium bromide to yield potassium chloride and bromine liquid.

5. Iron and water form iron(III) oxide and hydrogen gas.

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6. Methane (CH4)and oxygen burn to produce carbon dioxide and water vapor.

7. Glucose and oxygen react to produce energy, carbon dioxide, and water.

8. Ethane (C2H6) and oxygen burn to produce carbon dioxide and water vapor.

9. Butane (C4H10) and oxygen burn to produce carbon dioxide and water vapor.

10. Car batteries use solid lead and lead(IV) oxide with sulfuric acid solution to produce an
electric current. The products of this reaction are lead(II) sulfate in solution and water.

11. Magnesium chloride and water are produced when magnesium hydroxide reacts with
hydrochloric acid.

12. Liquid bromine reacts with solid phosphorus (P4) to produce solid diphosphorus pentabromide.

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13. Aqueous lead(II) nitrate reacts with aqueous potassium iodide to produce solid lead(II)
iodide and aqueous potassium nitrate.

14. Gaseous hydrogen chloride reacts with gaseous ammonia to produce solid ammonium chloride.

15. Solid copper(II) sulfide reacts with aqueous nitric acid to produce aqueous copper(II)
sulfate, water, and nitrogen dioxide gas.

16. N2O4 + N2H4 → N2 + H2O

17. Ammonia reacts with oxygen to produce nitrogen monoxide and water vapor.

18. Lead(II)chromate reacts with hydrochloric acid and iron(II)sulfate to produce

lead(II)chloride, chromium(III)sulfate, iron(III)chloride, iron(III)sulfate, and water.

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 Classification of Chemical Reactions
Types of Reactions
• Classification of Chemical Reactions:
o
o
o
o
o

Synthesis
• To create –
• Only
• Product is a
• Element/Compound + Element/Compound
• A+B
• 2Na + Cl2
• NH3 + HCl
• CO2 + H2O
• Ba + Br2
• 3H2 + N2

Decomposition
• To break down into
• Only one reactant and it must be a
• Products can be elements and/or
• Compound
• AB
• This type of reaction usually needs energy to start the reaction. The energy can be in the form
of heat, light, mechanical shock,
• Sometimes you can use a catalyst – a substance that speeds up the reaction without being used
up. (it is left over
• 2H2O2
• CaCO3
• 2KClO3
• MgCl2
• 2NaClO3
• BaCO3

Single Displacement
• A single element replaces another element that is in a.
• A + BX
• Element + Compound
• One reactant is an element and one product is
• The element can be a
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• Types of single replacement:
o Metal replaces a hydrogen in a
o Metal replaces another
o Nonmetal replaces another

• To determine if one metal will replace another metal, you must use
the
• Most active metals are at the top (Li is
• A metal can replace any metal listed
• It cannot replace a metal that is
• When a halogen replaces another halogen, the halogen can only
replace one
• Zinc + hydrochloric acid
• Zn + 2HCl
• Cl2 + CaI2
• Fe + Na3PO4
• 2Al + 3 CuCl2
• Ag + Cu(NO3)2
• F2 + 2KCl
• 2Al + 3Fe(NO3)2
• Cl2 + 2 KBr
• 2Fe + 3H2O
• Br2 + 2NaF

Double Displacement
• Elements in ionic compounds
• These are usually
• AX + BY
• A and B are cations, X and Y are
• Compound + Compound
• Usually results in :
o Precipitate – solid that does
o Molecular Compound – such as water or a molecular
o Soluble compound – one compound is
• BaCl2 + Na2SO4
• FeS + 2HCl
• HCl + NaOH
• BaCl2 + H2SO4
• Pb(NO3)2 + 2NaCl
• HgCl2 + NaCO3
• Pb(NO3)2 + 2KI
• HgCl2 + 2KI
• CuCl2 + Na2CO3

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Combustion
• Oxygen combines with a hydrocarbon and releases energy in the form of
• Hydrocarbon – a molecular compound that contains only carbon
• Examples of hydrocarbons :
• Methane –
• Propane –
• Butane –
• Combustion of hydrocarbons always produces carbon dioxide and
• 2C2H6 + 7O2
• 2C18H38 + 55O2
• C3H8 + 5O2
• 2C4H10 + 13O2

Classify the following reactions:

• HgO → Hg + O2
• NaCl + AgNO3 → NaNO3 + AgCl
• 3H2 + N2 → 2NH3
• Mg + HCl → MgCl2 + H2
• Zn + H2SO4 → ZnSO4 + H2
• NaOH + HCl → NaCl + H2O
• Al2(SO4)3 + Ca(OH)2 → Al(OH)3 + CaSO4
• 2H2 + O2 → 2H2O
• Cl2 + NaBr → NaCl + Br2
• Zn + CuSO4 → ZnSO4 + Cu
• KClO3 → KCl + O2
• H2O + Fe → Fe2O3 + H2
• Ca(OH)2 + HNO3 → Ca(NO3)2 + H2O
• Na2O + CO2 → Na2CO3
• MgCO3 + HCl → MgCl2 + H2CO3
• 2C6H6 + 15O2 → 12CO2 + 5H2O

Reactions in Aqueous Solutions

Solutions
• Aqueous Solution – A solution in which the
• Water is the solvent (does the
• Water will dissolve polar molecules and
• Solutes that are dissolved in water form ions (charged atoms/
• Double displacement reactions have ions that may react with
• These reactions can form a
• Ionization – process of water dissolving polar molecules. The water pulls the polar molecule
apart and
• Acids go through ionization and form
• H+ ions form hydronium ions,
• HCl(aq) + H2O(l)

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• Dissociation – ionic compounds are separated by the polar molecules
• NaOH(aq)

Ionic Equations
• Chemical Equation – shows the reactants and products in a
• 2NaOH(aq) + CuCl2(aq)
• Complete Ionic equations show the substances as they exist as

• 2Na+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) + Cu2+(aq) + 2Cl-(aq)

• Spectator ions – ions that do not participate in the reaction. They are found on both sides of
the equation.

• 2Na+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) + Cu2+(aq) + 2Cl-(aq)

• Net Ionic Equation – Includes only the particles that participate in the reaction.

• 2OH-(aq) + Cu2+ (aq)

Forming a Precipitate
• The net ionic equation results in an
• This insoluble compound is a
• There are guidelines to determine if the compound is soluble or

Forming Water
• Double displacement reaction sometimes
• Increases the number of
• There is no real observable evidence of this type of reaction because water is colorless and

• Usually a neutralization reaction between an

• This reaction forms a salt and

• HCl(aq) + NaOH(aq)

• H+(aq) + Cl-(aq) + Na+(aq) + OH-(aq)

• H+(aq) + OH-(aq)

Forming a Gas
• Double displacement reactions can form
• Nonpolar gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), Hydrogen cyanide (HCN), and

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• 2HI(aq) + Li2S(aq)

• 2H+(aq) + 2I-(aq) + 2Li+(aq) + S2-(aq)

• 2H+(aq) + S2-(aq)

• Carbonate (CO32-)and bicarbonate (HCO3-) react with acids to form

• Carbonic acid (H2CO3) is formed in a double
• The unstable carbonic acid decomposes into carbon dioxide and

• HCl(aq) + NaHCO3(aq)

• H2CO3(aq)

• Overall :
• HCl(aq) + NaHCO3(aq)

• H+(aq) + Cl-(aq) + Na+(aq) + HCO3-(aq)

• H+(aq) + HCO3-(aq)

Examples
• HBr(aq) + KOH(aq) → ?

o H+(aq) + Br-(aq) + K+(aq) + OH-(aq)

o H+(aq) + OH-(aq)

• HNO3(aq) + Na2CO3(aq) → ?

o 2HNO3(aq) + Na2CO3(aq)

o But H2CO3 will decompose into

o 2H+(aq)+2NO3-(aq)+2Na+(aq)+CO32-(aq)

o 2H+(aq) + CO32-(aq)

19. Aqueous solutions of barium chloride and sodium fluoride are mixed to form a precipitate of
barium fluoride.

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20. Aqueous solutions of copper(I) nitrate and potassium sulfide are mixed to form insoluble
copper(I) sulfide.

21. Hydrobromic acid (HBr) reacts with aqueous lithium hydroxide.

22. Hydrochloric acid reacts with aqueous lithium cyanide.

23. Perchloric acid (HClO4) reacts with aqueous rubidium hydroxide.

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 Stoichiometry
Stoichiometry
• Stoichiometry is the study of the mass relationships of the reactants and the products in a
chemical
• How much stuff it takes to make a certain amount
• Based on the law of
• Mass of the reactants must equal the
• CH3OH(g) + O2(g)
• Chemical reactions are mole ratios between the reactants and the products – not a
• Mole ratio – the ratio of moles of any two substances in a
o 2CH3OH(l) + 3O2(g)
o 2 mol CH3OH :
o 3 mol O2 :
• There is not a direct relationship between masses of individual reactants and
• Must use the mole ratio to

Guidelines for Stoichiometry

1. Write a balanced equation for the
2. Convert grams A to moles of A using the
3. Convert moles of A to moles of B using the
4. Convert moles of B to grams of B using the

Examples
24. Sulfuric acid reacts with sodium hydroxide to form sodium sulfate and water. How many
grams of Na2SO4 are produced from 25.0 g of H2SO4?

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25. In the reaction from #24, I need 550.0 g Na2SO4. What mass of each reactant is required?

26. How much oxygen will be required to react with 100.0 g KCl to produce KClO3.

27. What mass of hydrogen peroxide must decompose to produce 0.77 g of water? The other
product is oxygen gas.

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28. Space vehicles use solid lithium hydroxide to remove exhaled carbon dioxide according to the
equation: LiOH + CO2 → Li2CO3 + H2O. Determine the mass of carbon dioxide removed if the
space vehicle carries 1.00 kg of LiOH.

29. How many grams of carbon dioxide are produced when 2.50 g of baking soda react with excess
citric acid (H3C6H5O7) to produce Na3C6H5O7, carbon dioxide, and water.

30. Aspirin (C9H8O4) is produced when salicylic acid (C7H6O3) reacts with acetic anhydride
(C4H6O3) according to the equation C7H6O3 + C4H6O3 → C9H8O4 + HC2H3O2. Determine the
mass of aspirin produced when 150.0 g of salicylic acid reacts with an excess of acetic
anhydride.

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 Actual Reactions
Limiting Reactants
• The limiting reactant in a chemical reaction governs the maximum
• Also known as
• The limiting reactant is completely used up in a reaction, stops the reaction, and limits the
amount of a product that is
• When the reaction is complete, the reactant left over is the
• Since the limiting reactant stops the reaction, it is used to calculate the amount of products

• Limiting reactant problems usually have the mass given for

• Guidelines for Limiting Reactants
o Write a balanced chemical
o Calculate the grams of product produced, based on the grams of each
o Determine which reactant produces the least mass of a
o The reactant that produces the least mass of product is the limiting reactant. The reactant
that produces more product is in

Percent Yield
• The percent yield is the actual amount of a product produced in a chemical reaction compared
to what should be produced under
• Actual yield – amount of a product produced in a lab and
• Theoretical yield – the maximum amount of product that can be obtained, according to the
reaction stoichiometry, from a given
• Why does a reaction not produce the theoretical amount?
o
o
o Reactions are slightly
o Pressure and temperature are
o Side reactions (extra reactions that

o Percent Yield =

• Suppose the theoretical amount of ammonia that should be produced is 525 g and the percent
yield is 80 %. How much is made?
•
• Guidelines for Percent Yield
o Usually given the amount of the reactants
o Calculate theoretical amount of product based on
o Calculate the percent yield by dividing the actual yield by the

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Examples
31. If 4.1 g Cr react with 9.3 g Cl2 to produce CrCl3. How much CrCl3 is produced?

32. What mass of sulfuric acid is produced from the reaction between 6.58 g of SO3 and 1.64 g of
water?

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33. If 43.2 g of calcium carbide react with 33.71 g of water, how much calcium hydroxide and
C2H2 are produced?

34. Chlorine reacts with benzene to produce chlorobenzene and hydrogen chloride,
Cl2 + C6H6 → C6H5Cl + HCl. Determine how much chlorobenzene is produced if 45.0 g of
benzene reacts with 45.0 g of chlorine.

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35. Nickel reacts with hydrochloric acid to produce nickel(II) chloride and hydrogen. If 5.00 g Ni
and 2.50 g HCl, react, determine the mass of nickel(II) chloride produced.
Ni + HCl → NiCl2 + H2.

36. A piece of copper with a mass of 5.00 g is placed in a solution of silver nitrate containing an
excess amount of AgNO3. The silver metal produced has a mass of 15.2 g. What is the percent
yield?

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37. What is the percent yield in a reaction between 2.80 g Al(NO3)3 in excess NaOH if 0.966 g
Al(OH)3 is recovered?

38. Determine the percent yield for the reaction between 15.0 g N2 and H2 if 10.5 g of ammonia is
produced?

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