Reactants & products — বিক্রিয়ক ও উৎপাদ

Definition

Every chemical equation reads like a sentence: the reactants, written left of the arrow, are the substances that go in; the products, on the right, are the new substances that come out. In the burning of methane, $\mathrm{CH_{4}}$ and $\mathrm{O_{2}}$ are reactants while $\mathrm{CO_{2}}$ and $\mathrm{H_{2}O}$ are products. The arrow means ‘gives’ or ‘forms’ — never an equals sign. Because atoms are conserved, a balanced equation shows the same atoms on both sides, and that lets you calculate how much product a given amount of reactant will yield.

For example

When limestone is roasted in a kiln, $\mathrm{CaCO_{3}}$ (reactant) becomes $\mathrm{CaO}$ and $\mathrm{CO_{2}}$ (products) — the very reaction that supplies quicklime for whitewashing your courtyard walls.

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