* Reactants are the substances that go into a chemical reaction. They are usually written on the left side of a chemical equation, separated by a plus sign (+).
* Products are the substances that are formed as a result of the chemical reaction. They are written on the right side of the equation, also separated by a plus sign.
Example:
The chemical equation for the reaction of hydrogen gas (H2) with oxygen gas (O2) to form water (H2O) is:
2H2 + O2 → 2H2O
* Reactants: H2 and O2
* Products: H2O
Key Points:
* The arrow (→) in the equation indicates the direction of the reaction, from reactants to products.
* Coefficients (the numbers in front of the chemical formulas) indicate the relative number of moles of each substance involved in the reaction.
* Chemical formulas describe the composition of the reactants and products.
