Chemical equation A representation

Chemical equation a representation of a chemical reaction showing the relative numbers of reactant and product molecules. (3.6)... 

Chemical change the change of substances into other substances through a reorganization of the atoms a chemical reaction. (1.9) Chemical equation a representation of a chemical reaction showing the relative numbers of reactant and product molecules. (3.8) Chemical equilibrium a dynamic reaction system in which the concentrations of all reactants and products remain constant as a function of time. (13)... 

Chemical equation A shorthand representation showing the reactants and products of a chemical reaction and their relative quantities. 

Chemical reactions are the most important events in chemical systems. So the ability to communicate about reactions succinctly is vital to our study of chemistry. This communication centers on the balanced chemical equation, a written representation of the reaction accurately reflecting the fact that matter is neither created nor destroyed. 

Given this context, the use of chemical symbols, formulae and equations can be readily misinterpreted in the classroom, because often the same representations can stand for both the macroscopic and sub-microscopic levels. So H could stand for an atom, or the element hydrogen in an abstract sense H2 could mean a molecule or the substance. One common convention is that a chemical equation represents molar quantities, so in Example 9 in Table 4.1,... 

A model is one of the main outcomes of ary scientific enquiry and hence is a major contributor to philosophy of science. A model may be defined as a simplified representation of a phenomenon (an object, system, event, process) or idea produced for the specific purpose of providing an explanation of that entity, the most important outcomes of which are the production of successful predictions of how it will behave under a range of circumstances (Gilbert, Boulter, Elmer, 2000). Entities can be modelled at the three levels at the macroscopic, by representing some of the aspects of the entity that can be seen at the sub-microscopic, by representing the ideas produced to explain the constitution and behaviour of the particles that constitute the entity and at the symbolic, by representing the symbols created to simplify the reference to such particles (as, for instance, chemical formulae and chemical equations). 

The capacity to construct a representation in any appropriate mode and submode for a given purpose. For example, being able to represent the working of an oil refinery in terms of a diagram of its component parts to an explanation of what takes place in terms of molecular transformations and the chemical equations for these ... 

Some tasks in the Test of Gained Knowledge required students to connect observations about the macro course of chemical reactions with their notations in the submicro and/or symbolic types of representation. The results indicate that most students were able to rearticulate the information about reactants and products of a chemical reaction from the textual description of chemical reaction into the form of word chemical equation (textual description of macros word equation of macro Task 8.2, f(o/ )=89.82% Task 9.1, f(o/ )=87.61%). This action corresponds to the first step in learning to write down chemical equation in the LON approach. It can easily be explained, because teachers described the learning process to be very efficient to this point, as is illustrated below ... 

Using models in learning about ehemieal equations has proved a successful tool, espeeially by students with diffieulties in eoneept understanding. By eounting the number of atoms in partiele representations they better understood the meaning of a balanced equation. Some students still have problems with balaneing chemical equations when models are not avail-... 

Students ability to connect observations at the macroscopic level with their descriptions using the submicro and symbolic types of representation improved as a consequence of the LON teaching approach. Teachers attributed the improvement to the consistent use of all three types of representation and to the use of visible models as a tool for bridging the gap between macroscopic observations and symbolic notations of chemical equations. 

Richards s demand for an "explanation," not a representation, was a valid concern among chemists concerned with the practical implications in laboratory work of mathematical equations and theoretical speculations. Could one predict and plan chemical syntheses on the basis of knowing the reaction pathway, step by step and molecule by molecule And what triggered a chemical reaction What made a stable substance transform itself and assume a new identity Were there insights from experimental and theoretical physics which now could aid the chemistry of the late nineteenth century ... 

The reduction half-reaction does not include a solid conductor of electrons, so an inert platinum electrode is used in this half-cell. The platinum electrode is chemically unchanged, so it does not appear in the chemical equation or half-reactions. However, it is included in the shorthand representation of the cell. 

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