Formulas and Equations

Formulas and Equations

In this topic we will explore how chemical symbols are used to represent the names of elements. We will explore the Periodic Table of Elements to learn the scientific organization of the elements. Next, we will see that chemical symbols can be combined to form the formulas of the millions of compounds that exist. Finally, you will learn how these formulas can be combined in chemical equations to show the qualitative and quantitative aspects of chemical reactions.

Chemical Symbols are unique one-, two-, or three-letter symbols used to identify each element.

The first letter is always capitalized, if there are any other letters, they are in lower case

For Example:
C Carbon
H Hydrogen
He Helium

We can find atoms of elements in two general forms

Monoatomic - individual atoms of element ex: C, P, B
Diatomic - two atoms of the same element
- ex. O2, F2, N2, Cl2, Br2, I2, H2

The smaller number to the right of the symbol is called the subscript and it tells how many of the atoms are chemically conbined to each other. Coefficients are placed before the symbol and multiply the total number of atoms.

Chemical Formulas

Compounds are composed of two or more elements chemically combined in definite proportions by weight (mass). Formulas use chemical symbols and numbers to show both qualitative and quantitative information.

Qualitative Info - refers to what the elements are in the compound
Quantitative Info - refers to how many of each element are present in the compound

For Example:

H₂SO₄

_{Contains 2 Hydrogen, 1 Sulfur}_{and 4 Oxygen atoms}