1. Reactants and Products
The chemicals we have at the start of a reaction are called reactants. When a chemical reaction takes place the atoms in these substances are rearranged to form new chemicals. The substances formed in a reaction are called products.
Example:
If copper oxide is heated with magnesium it will react to form magnesium oxide and copper. We can write this as a simple word equation:
Copper
oxide
+ Magnesium
Magnesium
Copper
Reactants
(substances we started the reaction with), always go on the left.
Products
(substances formed during a reaction), always go to the right of the arrow.
Word Equation

2. You need to… For each of the chemical reactions you need to:
Highlight or circle the reactants in one colour and the products in another colour (don’t forget to colour in the key)
Complete the word equation for each reaction

3. Reaction One
Sam mixed together some eggs, milk and flour. When he heated them in a large pan they reacted to form a big pancake!
Eggs
+ Milk
+ Flour
Pancake
Eggs
+ Milk
+ Flour
Pancake

4. Reaction Two
When Katrina dropped a lump of magnesium into a test tube of hydrochloric acid, the chemical magnesium chloride was formed. Katrina also noticed a gas being formed. When a lit splint was placed in the gas it made a squeaky ‘pop’ sound.
Hydrochloric Acid
+ Magnesium
Magnesium
chloride
+ Hydrogen
HCl + Mg  MgCl2 + H2
2 HCl + Mg  MgCl2 + H2

5. Reaction Three
Luke reacted a lump of calcium carbonate with some sulphuric acid. Two of the products formed were water and calcium sulphate. The other product formed was a gas that turned lime water milky.
Sulphuric Acid
+ Calcium
carbonate
Water
+ Calcium Sulphate
Carbon
dioxide
H2 (SO4) + Ca(CO3)  H2O+ Ca(SO4) + CO2
Balanced already

6. Reaction Four
Bradley heated some copper turnings with some sulphur powder very strongly in a test tube. He noticed that at the end of the experiment, there was a bluish colour left on the surface of the copper. Sulphur occurs as S8
Copper Turnings
+ Sulphur
Copper
sulphide
Cu + S8  CuS if you used Copper(II)
8Cu + S8  8CuS if you used Copper(II)
Cu + S8  Cu2S if you used Copper(I)
16 Cu + S8  8Cu2S if you used Copper(I)

7. Reaction Five
Chelsea was given some nitric acid and some iron oxide. She reacts these together and finds that she makes a solution of iron nitrate and water.
Nitric Acid
+ Iron Oxide
Iron nitrate
+ Water
H(NO3) + FeO  Fe(NO3)2 + H2O if you used iron (II)
H(NO3) + Fe2O3  Fe(NO3)3 + H2O if you used iron (III)

8. Reaction Six
Milos put a brand new iron nail outside and studied it for several weeks. He noticed that gradually the surface of the nail became coated with rust. He read in a science book that the chemical name for rust is “iron oxide”.
Iron
+ Oxygen
Iron Oxide
2Fe + O2  2 FeO if you used Iron (II)
4 Fe +3 O2  2 Fe2O3 if you used Iron (III)

9. Reaction Seven
Shona was learning about photosynthesis. She looked on the internet and found that in this process, plants take in carbon dioxide gas from the air and water from the ground. Using energy from the sun they can turn these chemicals into a kind of sugar called glucose and the gas oxygen.
LIGHT
Carbon Dioxide
+ Water
+ Glucose
+ Oxygen

10. Reaction Eight
Jourdan told Shona that plants and animals respire. In this reaction they use up glucose and oxygen and make carbon dioxide and water and release energy that they can use to stay alive.
Glucose
+ Oxygen
+ Carbon Dioxide
+ Water
+ ENERGY

11. How did you do? Count up how many you got right out of 35
Write your name and your score on a post it note
And stick it on the board

12. Can you….?
Describe what happens to particles during a chemical reaction (Level 5)
Yes No

13. Balancing equations
When we talk about chemical reactions we always refer to the reactants and the products.
When we write these chemical reactions we can sometimes use the formula
Oxygen = O

14. Balancing Equations
BUT, we must make sure that what goes into a chemical reaction also comes out
WE MUST BALANCE THE EQUATION
Lets have a go…

15. Balancing equations What do you notice about this balanced equation?
Methane Oxygen Carbon Dioxide + Water
CH O CO H2O H H H
O O O H C H
O O C H
O O H H O
What do you notice about this balanced equation?

16. Balancing equations Time for you to have a go… What do you notice??
H O H2O
Hydrogen Oxygen Water H H
O O
???????
Remember we need to balance it!
What do you notice??

17. Balancing equations Time for you to have a go… H2 + O2 H2O
Hydrogen Oxygen Water H H
O O
H H O
Remember we need to balance it!
Why is this wrong??
Because we haven't used both of the oxygen molecules

18. Balancing equations Time for you to have a go… H2 + O2 2H2O
Hydrogen Oxygen Water H H
O O
H H
H H
H H O O O O O
Remember we need to balance it, BOTH SIDES
Is this correct??

19. Balancing equations Time for you to have a go… 2H2 + O2 2H2O
Hydrogen Oxygen Water
H H H H
O O
H H
H H
H H O O O O O
H H
Remember we need to balance it, BOTH SIDES
Is this correct??
YES, There are now 4 hydrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms on the left AND the same amount on the right 

20. Can you….?
Create balanced chemical equations (Level 6)
Yes No

21. Acknowledgement This resource was modified from