In Year 11 Chemistry, it’s really important to know the difference between reactants and products. This helps us understand how chemical reactions work.

Reactants vs. Products:

• Reactants: These are the things that change during a chemical reaction. They are what you start with before the reaction happens.

• Products: These are the new things that are made after the reaction takes place.

Example: Let’s look at what happens when methane burns: $CH_4(g) + 2O_2(g) \rightarrow CO_2(g) + 2H_2O(g)$

In this reaction:

• Reactants:
  • $CH_4$ (which is methane)
  • $O_2$ (which is oxygen)
• Products:
  • $CO_2$ (which is carbon dioxide)
  • $H_2O$ (which is water)

How to Spot Them: To find out which are the reactants and which are the products in any chemical equation, follow these tips:

1. Left side of the equation: This part has all the reactants.
2. Right side of the equation: This part shows the products.

Understanding how to tell reactants from products is helpful. It makes balancing equations easier and helps us see how chemical reactions play a role in everyday life, like how car engines work or how plants make their food through photosynthesis!