For example, a compound in the gas state would be indicated by (g), solid (s), liquid (l), and aqueous (aq). The state of matter of each compound or molecule is indicated in subscript next to the compound by an abbreviation in parentheses. Each individual substance’s chemical formula is separated from others by a plus sign. Reactants and products are separated by an arrow symbol (“→” usually read aloud as “yields”). The coefficients next to the symbols of entities indicate the number of moles of a substance produced or used in the chemical reaction. The reactants (the starting substances) are written on the left, and the products (the substances found in the chemical reaction) are written on the right.
Conventions for writing chemical equations A chemical equation is the symbolic representation of a chemical reaction.
