Difference Between a Chemical Reaction and the Equation

Difference Between a Chemical Reaction and the Equation What is the difference between a chemical reaction and the chemical equation? The terms are often used interchangeably, but they are technically different terms. A chemical reaction is a process that occurs when one or more substances are changed into one or more new substances. For example: Hydrogen and oxygen gas combine to produce water.Sodium chloride (table salt) dissociates in water to form sodium and chlorine ions.Methane combusts in oxygen to form carbon dioxide, heat, and water. A chemical equation is a symbolic representation of a chemical reaction. Atomic symbols are used to represent the elements that take part in a reaction. Numbers are used to represent the ratios of reactants and products to produce the reaction and arrows point the direction a reaction occurs where the arrow points from reactants to products. For example, using for the above chemical reactions: 2 H2(g) O2(g) → 2 H2O(ℓ)This chemical equation reads: Two hydrogen gas molecules and one oxygen gas molecule produce two molecules of water.NaCl(s) H2O → Na(aq) Cl-(aq)One molecule of sodium chloride dissociates in water into one sodium ion and one chlorine ion.CH4 2 O2 → CO2 2 H2O (DeltaH -891 kJ/mol)This equation shows one methane molecule and two oxygen gas molecules form a carbon dioxide molecule, two water molecules and release 891 kilojoules of heat. To review:Chemical reactions are processes where reactants become new products.Chemical equations are a symbolic representation of chemical reactions.