Chemical equation

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/chemical-equation

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the first diagrammed by?Jean Beguin in 1615
2. What is the core representation?Symbolic notation of chemical reactions, detailing reactants and products
3. Why do chemists use numbers before the formulas in a chemical equation?Those numbers are called coefficients. They tell how many molecules of each substance are needed so that the same amount of atoms is on both sides, keeping the mass balanced.
4. How did chemical equations start?The first clear chemical equation was drawn by Jean Beguin in 1615. Later, Antoine Lavoisier added the idea that mass is conserved, making the modern style we use today.

Chemical Equation: A symbolic representation of a chemical reaction showing reactants and products.
Reactants: The starting substances in a chemical reaction, listed on the left side.
Products: The new substances formed as a result of a chemical reaction, listed on the right side.
Stoichiometry: The calculation of relative quantities of reactants and products in chemical reactions.