How do you know the state of an element or compound when writing chemical equations?

Question

especially compounds

ie: KClO3, NaOH, K2CO3, ClO3

Answer 1

Well ionic compounds (metal + non metal or SO4-2, ClO- etc) are almost always solids, pure gasses from the rightmost side of the element table are gasses, organic compounds like alcanes are gasses if they have 1 to 4 atom of carbon per molecule, liquids from 5 to aprox. 10 and semisolids from 11 on...

Answer 2

You use common sense:

For instance, if one of the reactants was hydrogen, what do you think it would be? Solid? Liquid? Neither, because it can only be a gas. For the others, you just have to think about it carefully.

Answer 3

The chemical formula is followed by one of the following;
(s) for solids
(l) for liquids
(g) for gasses
(aq) for aquesous (dissolved substances).


E.g
NaOH(aq) Sodium hydroxide dissolved
H20(l) Water-liquid
CH4(g) Methane-gas
NaCl(s) Table salt-Solid
NaCl(aq) Table salt-dissolved

NaOH(aq) + HCl(aq) --> NaCl(aq) + H2O (l)

Answer 4

By the state of equation and behavior of the reaction