What is the first step in converting a word equation into a chemical equation?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: Writing the correct chemical formulae of reactants and products
A word equation gives the names of the reactants and products. The first step is to write their correct chemical formulae; for example, hydrogen is H₂ and oxygen is O₂. The equation is balanced afterwards by changing coefficients to make the number of atoms equal on both sides. Changing subscripts in a formula is not the correct way to balance an equation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the correct answer to this question?
Writing the correct chemical formulae of reactants and products
Why is this the correct answer?
A word equation gives the names of the reactants and products. The first step is to write their correct chemical formulae; for example, hydrogen is H₂ and oxygen is O₂. The equation is balanced afterwards by changing coefficients to make the number of atoms equal on both sides. Changing subscripts in a formula is not the correct way to balance an equation.
Which subject and chapter does this question cover?
This is a Class 10 Science question. Chapter: Chemical Substances – Nature and Behaviour. Topic: Chemical Reactions and Equations.