Question

How do you write a chemical equation from only words? I don't understand how you can take a worded problem and convert it into coefficients and elements.

Answer 1

To write a chemical equation from words, first write the correct chemical formulas of reactants and products, then balance the equation with coefficients to ensure the atoms of each element are equal on both sides.

Step-by-step explanation:

To write a chemical equation from a worded problem, you begin by writing the correct formulas of the reactants and products, following these steps:

1. Use the words to identify the reactants and products and write their correct chemical formulas. Make sure to note the state of matter if known (e.g., aqueous, solid).
2. Write the skeleton equation with the reactants on the left side of the arrow and the products on the right side, separated by plus signs.
3. Balance the equation by adding coefficients in front of the chemical formulas to ensure the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides. Remember that subscripts within formulas cannot be changed because they indicate the composition of the compounds. Coefficients of one are not written.

As an example, the word equation 'methane reacts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water' would be written as:

CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O

This chemical equation indicates that one molecule of methane (CH4) reacts with two molecules of oxygen (O2) to produce one molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2) and two molecules of water (H2O).