Question

Which of the following statements about chemical equations is(are) true? a. When balancing a chemical equation, you can never change the coefficient in front of any chemical formula. b. The coefficients in a balanced chemical equation refer to the number of grams of reactants and products. c. In a chemical equation, the reactants are on the right and the products are on the left. d. When balancing a chemical equation, you can never change the subscripts of any chemical formula. e. In chemical reactions, matter is neither created nor destroyed so a chemical equation must have the same number of atoms on both sides of the equation.

Short answer

The true statements about chemical equations are: - Statement d: When balancing a chemical equation, you can never change the subscripts of any chemical formula. - Statement e: In chemical reactions, matter is neither created nor destroyed so a chemical equation must have the same number of atoms on both sides of the equation.

Step-by-step solution

Statement a: Balancing chemical equations and coefficients.

Statement a states that when balancing a chemical equation, we can never change the coefficient in front of any chemical formula. This statement is actually false. When balancing a chemical equation, we need to adjust the coefficients in front of the chemical formulas to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation. So, changing coefficients is crucial for balancing chemical equations.

Statement b: Coefficients and grams of reactants and products

Statement b says that the coefficients in a balanced chemical equation refer to the number of grams of reactants and products. This statement is incorrect. Coefficients in a balanced chemical equation refer to the number of molecules or moles (not grams) of the reactants and products involved in the chemical reaction.

Statement c: Reactants and products in a chemical equation

Statement c proposes that in a chemical equation, the reactants are on the right and the products are on the left. This statement is false. In a chemical equation, the reactants are typically written on the left side and the products are written on the right side of the equation. The reactants and products are separated by an arrow pointing towards the products.

Statement d: Balancing chemical equations and subscripts

Statement d claims that when balancing a chemical equation, we can never change the subscripts of any chemical formula. This statement is true. We should not change the subscripts while balancing a chemical equation, as altering the subscripts would change the identity of the compounds involved in the reaction. Instead, we should adjust the coefficients to balance the equation.

Statement e: Matter conservation in chemical reactions

Statement e mentions that in chemical reactions, matter is neither created nor destroyed so a chemical equation must have the same number of atoms on both sides of the equation. This statement is true. This is based on the law of conservation of mass, which states that the total mass of the reactants must be equal to the total mass of the products in a chemical reaction. Balancing the chemical equation ensures that the same number of atoms is present on both sides of the equation, thus conserving the mass. In conclusion, the true statements about chemical equations are: - Statement d: When balancing a chemical equation, you can never change the subscripts of any chemical formula. - Statement e: In chemical reactions, matter is neither created nor destroyed so a chemical equation must have the same number of atoms on both sides of the equation.