Balancing Chemical Equations 4/16/17

Summary:
Balancing equations may sound difficult to do, but there are a few simple steps to follow that can make sure that you balance an equation correctly. First of all, you need to an equation to balance. Obviously you need an unbalanced equation to be able to balance it. Next, you need to draw boxes around each and every compound. This is so that you do not touch or change the compounds. After that count the atoms. It may sound confusing, but all that means is look at the subscripts next to each atom to find the number of atoms in the equation. If there is no number after the element, then there is only 1. Then, write coefficients for each compound until both sides are equal. The biggest rule is you can NEVER EVER touch the subscripts, you can only add coefficients. Lastly, continue counting the atoms and adding coefficients until both the reactant and product side are equal.

S&EP-Conducting Investigations:
We conducted an investigation to determine what causes a precipitate and what exactly a precipitate is. A precipitate is non dissolving solid that forms when two solutions or liquids combine and react chemically. After this investigation we confirmed that you know a precipitate was formed when you see a solid after two liquids were combined. The investigation confirmed a theory of mine that was a change in color and fizzing indicates a chemical reaction occurred. In addition to that, I confirmed that taking accurate notes on your observations makes a big difference on your understanding. Since I took good notes on the investigation, I could really understand what a precipitate was.

XCC- Cause & Effect:
A chemical reaction is a cause and effect relationship. Something causes a chemical reaction, such as mixing  two compounds together and you get a new rearrangement as a result. Many people don't know this, in fact I recently learned it, but there are different types of chemical reactions. For example, one chemical reaction is synthesis. A synthesis reaction is when two elements combine to make a compound. This would look like A + B ----> AB. Another type of chemical reaction would be a decomposition reaction. This is when a compound breaks apart into two elements. This would look like AB ----> A + B. Single displacement is another type of chemical reaction. In this chemical reaction is when a more active element takes the place of another element in a compound and sets the less active one free. This would look like AB + X ----> AX + B. Lastly, there is double displacement. A double displacement is when anions and cations of two different molecules switch forming new compounds. This is sometimes called ionic. An example of this would be, AB + XY ----> BY + A. Chemical reactions are a good example of cause and effect relationships.

Multiplier:
This week I was a wanderer because whenever I figured out the balanced equation I would share the information with my team.