• Question: Is there a pattern to the solution of chemical equations?

    Asked by fabulousno1 to Donna, Jo, Mark, Stuart, timcraggs on 24 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Donna MacCallum

      Donna MacCallum answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      Hi Fabulous
      I guess this depends upon what you mean by the solution of chemical equations. Chemistry follows good rules and every atom needs to be accounted for. I guess then that there are patterns – nice and orderly!

      e.g. C6H12O6+ 6O2—> 6CO2+ 6H2O for glucose metabolism

      Is this what you were asking?

    • Photo: Mark Lancaster

      Mark Lancaster answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      Yes – you must have the same atoms on the left and right although they are in different combinations. In chemical reactions atoms do not disappear they just get arranged differently into different molecules and compounds

    • Photo: Joanna Buckley

      Joanna Buckley answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Well, fabulousno1, all of them are different but they do share common things. The equation must balance, so you can’t lose atoms from one side of the equation to the other.

      Other than that, there’s no set pattern 🙂

    • Photo: Tim Craggs

      Tim Craggs answered on 24 Jun 2010:

      Chemical equations must always balance. There must be the same amount of the different elements on both sides of the equation, as no chemical reaction actually changes any of the elements. (There are nuclear reactions in which this does happen, like, for example, the radioactive decay of uranium-238 to thorium-234).

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