In my GCE O-Level Chemistry Tuition Classes, i realised that alot of my students are not strong in their fundamentals.
One of these is their inability to state the correct state symbols after writing the Balanced Chemical Equations for a particular reaction.
Note that the last step for balancing a chemical equation is to add the State Symbols.
There are 4 types of State Symbols that can be used, namely:
(s) –> represents a Solid (including Precipitates that are insoluble in water)
(l) –> represents a Liquid (including Molten Compounds)
(g) –> represents a Gas (including Water Vapour & Steam)
(aq) –> represents an Aqueous Solution (i.e. substances that are soluble in water)
Example #1:
2Na(s) + Cl2(g) — > 2NaCl(aq)
Example #2:
Mg(s) + H2SO4(aq) — > MgSO4(aq) + H2(g)
Hope you find this useful to you.
PS: Feel free to leave me your comments. I love to hear from you! =)