Final answer:
To draw a reaction mechanism, identify reactants and products for ball-and-stick models, detail elementary reactions, and ensure they add up to the overall balanced chemical equation. Direction to equilibrium depends on reactant and product concentrations. Writing and balancing equations requires careful accounting of all atoms.
Step-by-step explanation:
To address the question about drawing a mechanism for a reaction, it is important first to identify the reactants and products involved. Once these are established, ball-and-stick models can be constructed to visualize the molecules and their interactions. Next, each elementary reaction step needs to be delineated to represent the changes in bonding and rearrangement of atoms during the course of the reaction. These steps must align precisely with the overall balanced chemical equation, ensuring mass and charge conservation.
When determining the direction in which a reaction proceeds as it goes to equilibrium, consideration must be given to the concentration of reactants and products, along with the equilibrium constant. During practical work, such as mixing solutions and allowing reactions to happen, students can visualize the process by physically representing the formation of products like H2O from its elemental components.
Finally, writing and balancing a chemical equation is crucial. This involves identifying the correct formulas for all reactants and products, and then applying the law of conservation of mass to ensure the same number of each type of atom appears on both sides of the reaction.