LANGUAGE OF CHEMISTRY

CHAPTER OUTLINE
▪ INTRODUCTION
▪ SYMBOLS OF ELEMENTS
▪ VALENCY & RADICALS
▪ CHEMICAL FORMULAE
▪ WRITING CHEMICAL EQUATIONS
▪ METHODS OF BALANCING CHEMICAL EQUATIONS
▪ RELATIVE ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR MASS
▪ PERCENTAGE COMPOSITION
Do you speak chemistry?
 SYMBOLS
A specific abbreviation used to denote the name of an
element

➢ Significance of a Symbol :

1. A symbol represents short form of an element

2. It represents one atom of an element

Symbols of elements were given by the following scientists:

❑ JOHN DALTON

❑ JONS JAKOB BERZELIUS

DALTON’S ATOMIC SYMBOLS
BERZELIUS SYMBOLS
✓ Some elements symbols were given on the basis
of the first letter of the name of the element. Eg.,
Oxygen (O), Hydrogen (H), etc. Always will be
represented by capital letters.

✓ Some elements which were starting from the

similar letter, were represented by first two
letters of their names where first letter will be
capital and second small. Eg. Helium (He) ,
Oganesson (Og), Osmium (Os), etc.

✓ Some symbols were given by representing the

first and third letter, eg., Magnesium (Mg), etc

✓ Some symbols were given according to their

latin names of elements, eg., Argentenum (Ag) ,
Aurum (Au), etc.
 VALENCY
The combining power of an atom, especially is measured by the number of hydrogen atoms it can displace
The combining capacity of an atom is known as its valency. The number of bonds that an atom can form as part of a
compound is expressed by the valency of the element.

Concept of Valency:

✓ Noble gases have a completely filled outermost shell and that’s why they are least reactive. Other element’s
reactivity depends upon their ability to attain the noble gas configuration.
✓ If the outermost shell has 8 electrons then the element is said to have a complete octet. By gaining, sharing
and losing the electrons the atoms complete their outermost orbit and complete an octet.
✓ The capacity of an atom is described by the total number of electrons lost, gained or shared to complete its
octet and it also determines the valency of the atom.
 VARIABLE VALENCY
Sometimes, because of different conditions under which a chemical reaction takes place, the valency of the same element
changes. Thus metals like lead, tin, copper, mercury, iron etc. exhibit variable valency.

Normally, the metals donate electrons from their valence shell, so as to form positively charged ions. However, some
metals lose electrons from the shell before the valence shell (also known as the penultimate shell). In such a situation, the
element exhibits more than one valency. Such elements are said to have variable valency.
 RADICALS
A radical is a group of atom of elements that behaves like a single unit & shows a
valency
o An element is referred to as monoatomic when it exists as a single atom & is represented by a single symbol of
that element. Eg. Cl - , Br -

o A compound contains whole number of atoms of the component element, indicating that the element are in
chemical combination, thereby representing its molecular formula. Eg., CaCl2

o A molecular formula also represents the number of units of the radicals present in a compound with proper
subscript outside the unit of the radical. Eg., Ca(OH)2

o Some examples of positive and negative radicals:

NH4+ - Ammonium ion

SO4-2 – Sulphate ion
S-2 – Sulphide ion
 CHEMICAL FORMULAE
A chemical compound is a pure chemical substance composed of many identical molecules composed of atoms from more
than one element held together by chemical bonds.

A chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a
particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols,
such as parentheses, dashes, brackets, etc.

Properties of a Compound:

1. In a compound, components are always present in a definite ratio.

2. Compound is always homogenous.

3. Composition of a compound cannot be varied and components may not be seen separately

4. Compound has a definite set of properties

5. Components in a compound don't retain their original properties and can only be separated by chemical means
WRITING CHEMICAL FORMULAE
 WRITING CHEMICAL EQUATIONS
A chemical equation is a shorthand form for a chemical change, it shows the result of a chemical change in which the
reactants and the products are represented by symbols and formula

Eg. NH4OH + HCl → NH4Cl + H2O

Reactants Products

Information Provided Limitations

Chemical nature of reactants and products The concentration of both reactants and products

The nature of elements & radicals involved The speed of the reaction or the reactants involved

The direction of the reaction – Reversible or Irreversible Changes in colour occurring during reaction

Completion of the reaction

The states of matter in which substance is present
Changes in evolution of light or sound energy
 BALANCING CHEMICAL EQUATIONS
✓ A balanced equation is one in which the number of atoms of each element is the same on the side of the
reactants and on the side of the products

✓ An equation should be balanced to comply with the Law of Conservation of Matter, which explains that
matter is neither created nor destroyed

✓ In order to balance an equation, the formula of the reactants and the products in an equation is fixed and
hence the equation can be balanced by taking appropriate numbers of the atoms or molecules of the
reactants and products concerned

✓ There are two methods by which an equation can be balanced –

1. Hit & Trial method

2. Partial Equation method

 HIT & TRIAL METHOD
The simplest way to balance a chemical equation is by by hit & trial method

STEP 1 : Write down the correct formula of the reactants and products with a plus sign in between with an arrow
pointing from reactants to products. This is called as skeletal equation.

STEP 2 : Select the largest formula and equalize the number of atoms of each of its constituent elements on both
sides on both sides of the chemical equation by using suitable stoichiometry.

Eg. Magnetic oxide when heated is reduced to Iron and Water. Write balanced equation for the reaction.

Magnetic oxide + Hydrogen → Iron + Water

I] Fe3O4 + H2 → Fe + H2O

II] Fe3O4 + H2 → 3Fe + H2O

III] Fe3O4 + H2 → 3Fe + 4H2O

IV] Fe3O4 + 4H2 → 3Fe + 4H2O

Hence balanced
BALANCE THE
FOLLOWING
EQUATIONS
USING HIT &
TRIAL METHOD
 PARTIAL EQUATION METHOD
STEPS TO BALANCE AN EQUATION USING PARTIAL EQUATION METHOD

STEP 1 : The chemical reaction represented by equation must proceed in two or more
steps

STEP 2 : The skeletal equations representing each step are written and then balanced by
hit and trial method. These are known as partial equations.

STEP 3 : If necessary the partial equations are multiplied by suitable integers so as to

cancel those intermediate products which do not occur in the final reaction

STEP 4 : The partial equations are added to get the final balanced equation
Eg., Action of Chlorine on hot solution of Sodium hydroxide

1. Chlorine gas is mixed with water producing Hypochlorous acid and Hydrochloric acid

2. When this Hypochlorous acid and hydrochloric acid reacts with hot solution of sodium
hydroxide it produces a Sodium hypochlorite salt [which further decomposes to form
sodium chloride and Sodium chlorate], Sodium chloride salt and water

3Cl2 + 3H2O → 3HClO + 3HCl

3NaOH + 3HCl → 3NaCl + 3H2O X3

3NaOH + 3HClO → 3NaClO + 3H2O

3NaClO → 2NaCl + NaClO3

3Cl2 + 6NaOH → 5NaCl + NaClO3 + 3H2O

BALANCE THE
FOLLOWING
EQUATIONS
USING PARTIAL
EQUATION
METHOD
RELATIVE ATOMIC MASS

Relative atomic mass (symbol: Ar) or

atomic weight is a dimensionless physical
quantity defined as the ratio of the average
mass of atoms of a chemical element in a
given sample to the atomic mass constant.
The atomic mass constant (symbol: mu) is
defined as being 1/12 of the mass of a
carbon-12 atom. Since both quantities in
the ratio are masses, the resulting value is
dimensionless; hence the value is said to be
relative.
 RELATIVE MOLECULAR MASS
The sum of all the relative atomic masses of the
atoms in a molecule; the ratio of the average mass per
molecule of a substance to one-twelfth the mass of an
atom of carbon-12. Also called molecular weight. It is
equal to the sum of the relative atomic masses of all
the atoms that comprise a molecule.
 PERCENTAGE COMPOSITION
Percent composition is the percentage by mass of each element in a compound
Steps to calculate Percent Composition:

1.Find the molar mass of all the elements in the compound in grams per
mole

2.Find the molecular mass of the entire compound

3.Divide the component's molar mass by the entire molecular mass

4.You will now have a number between 0 and 1. Multiply it by 100% to get
percent composition
FIND THE MOLECULAR
MASS OF THE
FOLLOWING
COMPOUNDS AND
ALSO FIND THE
PERCENTAGE
COMPOSITION OF
EACH CONSTITUENT
 C = 40 % H = 6.66 % O = 53.33 %
Al = 20.2 % Cl = 79.8 % ----
Cu = 39.8 % S = 22.9 % O = 45.8 %
Ca = 29.4 % S = 23.5 % O = 47.05 %
C = 40 % H = 6.6 % O = 53.33 %
H = 2.7 % Cl = 97.2 % ----
C = 52.17 % H = 13.04 % O = 34.7 %
C = 37.5 % H = 4.1 % O = 58.3 %
 EVALUATE
Write chemical equations for the following word equations and
also identify the type of reaction:

1. Sodium + Water → Sodium hydroxide + Hydrogen

2. Barium Chloride + Sodium Sulphate → Barium Sulphate + Sodium
chloride
3. Calcium hydroxide + Nitric acid → Calcium nitrate + Water
4. Phosphoric acid + Magnesium hydroxide → Magnesium phosphate +
Water
5. Potassium chloride + Lead (II) Nitrate → Potassium Nitrate + Lead (II)
chloride