activity series of metals
a table listing metals in order of decreasing activity
balanced equation
a chemical equation in which mass is conserved; each side of the equation has the same number of atoms of each element
catalyst
a substance that increases the rate of reaction by lowering the activatio-energy barrier
chemical equation
an expression representing a chemical reaction
coefficient
a small whole number that appears in front of a formula in a balanced chemical equation
combination reaction
a chemical change in which two or more substances react to form a single new substance
combustion reaction
a chemical reaction that occurs when a substance reacts with oxygen, releasing energy in the form of heat and light.
complete ionic equation
an equation for a reaction in solution showing all strong electrolytes as ions
decombustion reaction
Chemical change in which a single compound is broken down into two or more simpler products
double-replacement reaction
a chemical change involving an exchange of positive ions between two compounds
net ionic equation
an equation for a reaction in solution showing only those particles that are directly involved in the chemical change
single-replacent reaction
a chemical change in which one element replaces a second element in a compound
skeleton equation
a chemical equation that does not indicate the relative amounts of reactants and products
spectator ion
an ion that is not directly involved in a chemical reaction; an ion that does not change oxidation number or composition during a reaction