A chemical equation tells the story of a chemical reaction. Reactants are the starting substances in the reaction while products are the new substances that are formed. The large numbers in front of some of the formulas are called coefficients. These numbers are used to balance the equation because chemical reactions must obey the Law of conservation of mass. The number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation must be equal because mass cannot be created or destroyed. When balancing equations, the only numbers that can be changed are coefficients: remember that subscripts must never be changed to balance an equation.
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Answer:
A chemical equation tells the story of a chemical reaction. Reactants are the starting substances in the reaction while products are the new substances that are formed. The large numbers in front of some of the formulas are called coefficients. These numbers are used to balance the equation because chemical reactions must obey the Law of conservation of mass. The number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation must be equal because mass cannot be created or destroyed. When balancing equations, the only numbers that can be changed are coefficients: remember that subscripts must never be changed to balance an equation.