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Magnesium burns in oxygen to
form a white powder known as magnesium oxide
The reactants are magnesium and oxygen. The product formed is magnesium
oxide.
magnesium + oxygen ==> magnesium oxide
Hide the solution
Magnesium sulfate and hydrogen gas are produced when magnesium metal is placed in a solution of sulfuric acid.
magnesium metal + sulfuric acid ==> magnesium sulfate + hydrogen gas.
Chemical Equations Chemical equation = chemical recipe |
Click to see a simple explanation of what information a chemical equation tells us. A chemical equation describes the ingredients used during a chemical reaction and the products formed. It is, if you like, similar to a recipe. The ingredients or reactants appear on the left of the equation while the products appear on the right. Reactants are always used up during a chemical reaction while the products increase in quantity. Lets look at some examples. Hydrogen peroxide
breaks down to form oxygen gas and water. The word equation for this
reaction is shown below. Methane burns
to form carbon dioxide and water. The word equation for this reaction
is shown below. Note that when a substance burns, it is actually reacting
with oxygen. So oxygen must appear on the left side of the equation
as a reactant even though it is not stated in the description above. Write the word equations for the following chemical reactions. a) Magnesium burns in oxygen to form a white powder known as magnesium oxide. Solution b) Hydrogen and oxygen gases react to form water. c) Sugar reacts with oxygen in our body to produce carbon dioxide and water. d) Zinc metal and hydrochloric acid react together to produce hydrogen gas and zinc chloride. e) Some microorganisms, such as yeast, convert sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. f) Plants use carbon dioxide, water and energy from the Sun to produce sugar and oxygen in a process called photosynthesis. Note that sunlight is an essential ingredient and must be included on the left of the equation. g) Two clear solutions of copper nitrate and sodium carbonate are are mixed to form solid copper carbonate and the soluble salt known as sodium nitrate. h) Magnesium sulfate and hydrogen gas are produced when magnesium metal is placed in a solution of sulfuric acid. Solution i) What substance/s
decrease during the chemical reaction represented by the word equation
below? j) Carbon dioxide gas, water and heat energy are produced when wood burns. (Note that heat energy is produced and must appear on the right of the equation). k) Hydrogen gas and a salt are produced when an acid is poured onto a metal. Scientists use
a special way of writing to describe what happens in a chemical reaction.
They describe a chemical reaction by writing a chemical equation using
symbols to represent the atoms taking part. |