Final answer:
The question involves classifying chemical substances with formulas as elements (atomic or molecular) or compounds (molecular or ionic), and recognizing their role in writing chemical equations that balance reactants and products.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question pertains to the classification of chemical substances using their chemical formulas. Chemical substances can be classified into atomic elements, molecular elements, molecular compounds, and ionic compounds. An atomic element is a pure substance that consists of only one type of atom. Molecular elements are composed of multiple atoms of the same element bonded together. A molecular compound consists of atoms of different elements bonded together. Lastly, an ionic compound is made from cations (positively charged ions) and anions (negatively charged ions) that are held together by ionic bonds.
Chemical formulas play an important role in chemistry as they reveal the types of atoms and their quantities in a substance. They are critical for writing chemical equations, which represent chemical reactions that follow the law of conservation of mass, ensuring that atoms are balanced on both the reactant and product sides of the reaction. For example:
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- Glucose (C6H12O6) is a molecular compound as it is composed of three different elements: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
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- Silica (SiO2) is also a molecular compound, with silicon and oxygen atoms bonded together in a particular ratio.
Understanding how to classify substances and write chemical equations is essential for identifying reactants and products, and for predicting the outcomes of reactions in both laboratory and real-world scenarios.