Module 4.1 - Chemical Equations

Chemistry is the study of chemical reactions, processes in which reactants are converted to products. Chemical equations are a shorthand way of representing these reactions. They are always written:

Reactant(s)Product(s)

The arrow in this shorthand notation can be thought of as meaning "forms" or "yields".

Ethylene (C₂H₄) is a colorless gas that causes fruit to ripen when exposed to it. This occurs because ethylene reacts with the oxygen gas in the air to form carbon dioxide and water. These products help speed the ripening process of fruit.

This chemical reaction can be expressed as:

There are several important features of a chemical equation; moving your mouse over the above chemical equation will point these out.