Products: definition in chemistry
Products: The substances formed by a chemical reaction, written on the right side of a chemical equation.
Products have different properties from the reactants that formed them, which is how you can tell a chemical change has happened. Their amounts can be predicted from the balanced equation by working in moles. In a reversible reaction, the products can react to re-form the reactants until an equilibrium is reached.
Examples
- Water is the product of 2H₂ + O₂ → 2H₂O
- Carbon dioxide and water are the products of burning methane
- Rust (hydrated iron oxide) is the product of iron corroding
- Glucose and oxygen are the products of photosynthesis
On the periodic table
Group positions help predict products: a group 1 metal reacting with a group 17 halogen always forms a salt with a one-to-one formula, such as NaCl or KBr.