C1 Atomic Structure: 1.2 Chemical Equations

Chemical equations show the reactants and the products the new substances made in a reaction.

Hydrogen + Oxygen > Water

In chemical equations the atoms get rearranged. You can investigate what happens to the mass of reactants compared with mass of a reaction.

Symbol equations help you to see how much of each substance is involved in each reaction.

The total mass of the products formed must be equal to the total mass of the reactants - This is the Law of Conservation of Mass. Atoms can never be created or destroyed. 

State Symbols shows which state the substance was in at the time of the reaction.

(s) - Solids

(l) - Liquid

(g) - Gases

(aq) - Aqueous Solutions (Substances dissolved in water.)