CHEMICAL EQUATIONS
Lab
In this activity you will explore the process of balancing a chemical equation.
Materials:
Skittles
Worksheet
Procedure:
1. Designate a particular color of Skittles to represent carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen
and chlorine atoms.
2. Using the Skittles, represent the atoms and molecules of the reactants of equation #1
on the worksheet.
3. Using the same number and color of Skittles, represent the products. If you do not
have enough Skittles, you must add the same number to both sides and they must
represent the correct formulas.
4. Count the number of molecules of each substance in the reactants and products and
indicate them with coefficients on the balanced equation.
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Questions:
1. Why is hydrogen as an element written as H2? What other elements follow that same
rule?
2. How many atoms of oxygen are represented by 4Cu(OH)2?
3. Discuss briefly the relationship between the Law of Conservation of Mass and a
balanced chemical equation.
.
D+D ~D
D+D~D
H;
Oz
+
~
+
~
C
HzO
-
•
CH 4
D+ D~D+D
D~ D-~Dr D
CH'4
CH4
,
+
+
O2
Cl,
~
~
COZ
+
CCl4
D~ D-~D
H20
+
Hz
~