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Question
IN many chemical equation there are mixture of letters and numbers why is this so
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Solution
A chemical equation has several symbols and placements of the numbers that mean different things.
The letters: The letters are the chemical symbols of the elements being worked with, in the example above H is Hydrogen and O is Oxygen. Remember that some chemical symbols have two letters, but the second letter is always lowercase. The beginning of a new element symbol is a capital letter. PO means phosphorus and oxygen, but Po mean polonium.
Coefficients: These are the large numbers in front of the letters. The coefficient multiplies the letters and subscripts directly in front of the coefficient, after a plus sign the coefficient no longer applies. For 2H(subscripts don't work in Weebly's format)2, this means that there are four Hydrogen atoms in that part of the equation. The coefficient applies to every element before the next plus or yield sign.
Plus Signs: The plus signs connect two molecules in one part of the equation, making it a mixture. In the reactant part of the equation in the example, the substance is a mixture of (proportionally) four Hydrogen atoms and two Oxygen molecules. The Hydrogen and Oxygen are not combined in the reactant part of the equation in this example.
Subscripts: The subscripts are the smaller numbers after the elements they apply to. The subscript tells you how many atoms are in that molecule. The differences between coefficients and subscripts is this: coefficients tell you how many of that molecule there are and subscripts tell you how many atoms are in each molecule.
Reactants/Products: The reactants are the compounds or mixtures before the equals sign (or chemical reaction) the products are the compounds after the equals sign, the end result of the reaction.
The arrow: The arrow or "yield" is the equals sign of the reaction. It is the symbol recognizing that a chemical change has taken place.
Phase notations: in most chemical equations in more formal settings include state of matter in parentheses after each element: (g) notating gas, (s) for solid, (l) for liquid, and (aq) for aqueous.
Example:
"Two molecules of diatomic Hydrogen mixed with a molecule of Oxygen yeild two H20 molecules, more commonly know as two water molecules."
The letters: The letters are the chemical symbols of the elements being worked with, in the example above H is Hydrogen and O is Oxygen. Remember that some chemical symbols have two letters, but the second letter is always lowercase. The beginning of a new element symbol is a capital letter. PO means phosphorus and oxygen, but Po mean polonium.
Coefficients: These are the large numbers in front of the letters. The coefficient multiplies the letters and subscripts directly in front of the coefficient, after a plus sign the coefficient no longer applies. For 2H(subscripts don't work in Weebly's format)2, this means that there are four Hydrogen atoms in that part of the equation. The coefficient applies to every element before the next plus or yield sign.
Plus Signs: The plus signs connect two molecules in one part of the equation, making it a mixture. In the reactant part of the equation in the example, the substance is a mixture of (proportionally) four Hydrogen atoms and two Oxygen molecules. The Hydrogen and Oxygen are not combined in the reactant part of the equation in this example.
Subscripts: The subscripts are the smaller numbers after the elements they apply to. The subscript tells you how many atoms are in that molecule. The differences between coefficients and subscripts is this: coefficients tell you how many of that molecule there are and subscripts tell you how many atoms are in each molecule.
Reactants/Products: The reactants are the compounds or mixtures before the equals sign (or chemical reaction) the products are the compounds after the equals sign, the end result of the reaction.
The arrow: The arrow or "yield" is the equals sign of the reaction. It is the symbol recognizing that a chemical change has taken place.
Phase notations: in most chemical equations in more formal settings include state of matter in parentheses after each element: (g) notating gas, (s) for solid, (l) for liquid, and (aq) for aqueous.
Example:
"Two molecules of diatomic Hydrogen mixed with a molecule of Oxygen yeild two H20 molecules, more commonly know as two water molecules."
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