Student Exploration: Balancing Chemical Equations
Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and prompts in
the orange boxes.
Vocabulary: coefficient, combustion, compou
...
Student Exploration: Balancing Chemical Equations
Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and prompts in
the orange boxes.
Vocabulary: coefficient, combustion, compound, decomposition, double replacement, element, molecule, product,
reactant, single replacement, subscript, synthesis
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
The scouts are making s’mores out of toasted marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.
1. What is wrong with the image
below?
There aren’t enough chocolate and graham crackers to make five
s’mores.
2. Assuming a s’more requires two graham crackers, one marshmallow, and one piece of chocolate, how many
s’mores could you make with the ingredients shown?
You can only make two complete s’mores.
Gizmo Warm-up
In a chemical reaction, reactants interact to form products. This process is
summarized by a chemical equation. In the Balancing Chemical Equations
Gizmo, look at the floating molecules below the initial reaction: H2 + O2 �
H2O.
1. How many atoms are in a hydrogen molecule (H2)? 2
2. How many atoms are in an oxygen molecule (O2)? 2
3. How many hydrogen and oxygen atoms are in a water
molecule (H2O)?
1
4. In general, what does a subscript (such as the “2” in H2) tell
you about the molecule?
That the
molecule
has two
atoms
5. A chemical equation is balanced if the number of each type of atom on the left side is equal to the number of
each type on the right side. Is this reaction balanced?
No because the O on the right side of the equation only has one atom while the O on the left side has 2
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