CAN YOU WRITE A WORD EQUATION?

WORD EQUATIONS DESCRIBE CHEMICAL REACTIONS USING WORDS.

WORD EQUATIONS HAVE THE FOLLOWING PATTERN:

NAME OF REACTANT 1( ) + NAME OF REACTANT 2( ) + ... NAME OF PRODUCT 1( ) + NAME OF PRODUCT 2( ) + ...

THE REACTANTS ARE THE SUBSTANCES WITH WHICH YOU BEGIN THE REACTION. THE NAMES OF THE REACTANTS ARE LISTED BEFORE THE ARROW IN THE WORD EQUATION. A PLUS SIGN IS USED BETWEEN THE REACTANTS WHEN THERE IS MORE THAN ONE REACTANT.

THE PRODUCTS ARE THE SUBSTANCES MADE AS A RESULT OF THE REACTION. THE NAMES OF THE PRODUCTS ARE LISTED AFTER THE ARROW IN THE WORD EQUATION. A PLUS SIGN IS USED BETWEEN THE PRODUCTS WHEN THERE IS MORE THAN ONE PRODUCT.

SOMETIMES HEAT OR ENERGY IS NEEDED OR FORMED IN A REACTION. HEAT OR ENERGY IS INCLUDED IN THE WORD EQUATION JUST LIKE ANY OTHER REACTANT OR PRODUCT.

BEHIND THE NAME OF EACH REACTANT AND PRODUCT YOU GIVE THE STATE OF THE SUBSTANCE IN BRACKETS USING THE SHORTFORM INDICATED HERE:

• SOLID (S)
• LIQUID (L)
• GAS (G)
• AQUEOUS (AQ) THIS MEANS AQUEOUS WHICH MEANS THAT THE SUBSTANCE WAS DISSOLVED IN WATER OR THAT IT IS IN SOLUTION FORM.

EXAMPLES:

1.	MAGNESIUM METAL BURNS IN OXYGEN GAS WITH A BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT TO MAKE A WHITE POWDER CALLED MAGNESIUM OXIDE. MAGNESIUM (S) + OXYGEN (G) MAGNESIUM OXIDE (S) + HEAT
2.	A SOLUTION OF SODIUM IODIDE IS ADDED TO A SOLUTION OF POTASSIUM NITRATE TO MAKE A POTASSIUM IODIDE PRECIPITATE AND A SODIUM NITRATE SOLUTION. SODIUM IODIDE (AQ) + POTASSIUM NITRATE (AQ) POTASSIUM IODIDE (S) + SODIUM NITRATE (AQ)
3.	GASEOUS HYDROGEN AND GASEOUS OXYGEN REACT EXPLOSIVELY TO FORM WATER VAPOR. HYDROGEN (G) + OXYGEN (G) WATER (G) + HEAT

ACTIVITY

PERFORM THE REACTIONS BELOW. FOR EACH REACTION:

• DESCRIBE THE REACTANTS
• DESCRIBE THE PRODUCTS
• DESCRIBE THE REACTION
• WRITE A WORD EQUATION FOR THE REACTION
• CLASSIFY THE REACTION AS EITHER A PHYSICAL CHANGE OR A CHEMICAL CHANGE.

ORGANIZING YOUR WORK IN A TABLE MAY HELP. CLICK HERE TO SEE A SAMPLE TABLE!

REACTION 1:

FILL A PLASTIC POP BOTTLE FULL WITH WATER. PUT THE CAP TIGHTLY ON THE BOTTLE. PLACE THE SEALED BOTTLE OF WATER IN THE FREEZER. YOU MAY WANT TO PLACE THIS POP BOTTLE IN A BUCKET INSIDE YOUR FREEZER! CHECK THE BOTTLE AFTER 24 HOURS.

REACTION 2:

ADD BAKING SODA (ABOUT 1 TSP.) TO VINEGAR (ABOUT A QUARTER CUP). THIS MAKES DISSOLVED SODIUM ACETATE, BUBBLES OF CARBON DIOXIDE GAS AND WATER.

REACTION 3:

LIGHT A BUTANE LIGHTER. WATCH THE BUTANE COMBINE WITH THE AIR TO FORM CARBON DIOXIDE GAS AND WATER VAPOR.

COMPARE YOUR RESULTS TO THOSE OF A CLASSMATE. RESOLVE ANY DIFFERENCES YOU FIND. IF YOU HAVE THE PASSWORD, YOU CAN SEE THE ANSWER KEY OTHERWISE, EMAIL YOUR TEACHER YOUR ACTIVITY RESULTS AND REQUEST AN ANSWER KEY BE SENT TO YOU.

ASSIGNMENT

THIS IS A LONG ASSIGNMENT. DO ALL FOUR PARTS!

PART 1: READ PAGES 175 AND 176 OF THE DISCOVERING PHYSICAL SCIENCE TEXTBOOK. ANSWER QUESTIONS 1 TO 5 ON PAGE 176.

PART 2: SEND YOUR ANSWERS TO YOUR TEACHER VIA EMAIL. ONCE RECEIVED YOUR TEACHER WILL SEND YOU A COPY OF THE ANSWER KEY OR MAKE THE ANSWER KEY AVAILABLE TO YOU FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. COMPARE YOUR ANSWERS TO THOSE IN THE ANSWER KEY. IF YOU HAVE AN ANSWER KEY PASSWORD, CLICK HERE TO GET THE ANSWER KEY!

PART 3: PRACTICE WRITING WORD EQUATIONS FROM THE SENTENCE DESCRIPTIONS GIVEN BELOW. GET THESE IN:

• PDF FORMAT
• WORD FORMAT
• RICH TEXT FORMAT

PART 4: COMPARE YOUR WORD EQUATIONS TO THOSE OF A CLASSMATE. NOTE ANY DIFFERENCES YOU FIND. DISCUSS THESE DIFFERENCES. THROUGH YOUR DISCUSSIONS, YOU AND YOUR CLASSMATE SHOULD COME TO SOME AGREEMENT ON THE CORRECT WORD EQUATION.

ASSESSMENT

SELF CHECK YOUR ANSWERS FROM PART 1: OBTAIN THE ANSWER KEY FROM YOUR TEACHER. COMPARE YOUR ANSWERS TO THOSE GIVEN IN THE ANSWER KEY.

SELF CHECK YOUR ANSWERS FROM PART 3: OBTAIN THE ANSWER KEY FROM YOUR TEACHER. COMPARE YOUR ANSWERS TO THOSE GIVEN IN THE ANSWER KEY.

THE SKILL YOU HAVE WITH WRITING WORD EQUATIONS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR MARKS WHEN YOU DO FURTHER EXPERIMENTS IN THIS UNIT AND WHEN YOU WRITE YOUR UNIT TEST.