Reactant vs. Reagent [ENDORSED]

[Jynelle Brillantes 1E]

I’ve noticed both of these terms, on separate occasions, used in limiting reactant problems.

Are they used interchangeably, or is there an important distinction between the two that I should know?

[Chem_Mod]

Typically reagent is what you point to in the lab.

Reactant is what you point to in the balanced chemical equation.

Although, this distinction is not often made (and not that important).
As a student I wondered about this for a long time.
Glad you asked.
:-)

As I mentioned in class today, great to see many students answering questions and getting involved in discussion!

Happy 4th!

[Rana YT 2L]

While they may have different definitions, when they are used in a question, the two terms can essentially be used interchangeably.

[Victor Li Lec 1]

Reagents are chemicals that are available for use in the lab. When a reagent is used in a chemical reaction, it is called a reactant.

[AnuPanneerselvam1H]

A reactant is a substance that is consumed in the creation of a product in a chemical reaction. A reagent is used to detect, measure, or produce other substances. In other words, a reagent is a more passive reactant (could be a catalyst?). But for the most part, I believe these words can be used interchangeably.

[leilawilliams16]

so you won't get marked down for interchanging them on the tests?

[304744081]

At first I though it was a typo but reactant and reagent are used interchangeably.

[Chem_Mod]

Yes, the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but the distinction lies in that a "reagent" is a chemical that could be used to do a chemical reactant, for example, I have a lot of reagents in the lab in containers. A "reactant" is specifically an active component in a chemical reaction that is moving forward (left hand side of a typical chemical equation).

I

[Tatiana R Dis 3E]

The two words can be interchangeable and you shouldn't get marked off for using one or the other unless specified.

[Yeyang Zu 2J]

A reagent is a substance or compound added to a system to cause a chemical reaction, or added to test if a reaction occurs. The terms reactant and reagent are often used interchangeably—however, a reactant is more specifically a substance consumed in the course of a chemical reaction.

[Julia Campbell 2F]

A reagent is used in a reaction and a reactant undergoes a change in a reaction.

[Warda Sahib 2J]

reactant: A substance participating in a chemical reaction, especially a directly reacting substance present at the initiation of the reaction.
reagent: A substance used in a chemical reaction to detect, measure, examine, or produce other substances.

[Yeyang Zu 2J]

Reactant is something that truest reacts ( chemical changes)
Regent is things that is used in the chemical reaction, which do not necessarily to be chemically changed

[Jennie Fox 1D]

Used interchangeably

[Elana Weingord 1C]

I was under the impression that the two words mean the exact same thing and are synonyms of each other.

[Yitzchak Jacobson 1F]

I believe reagents are substances added to a system for a chemical reaction, while a reactants are a substance consumed in a chemical reaction.

[Mohamad Farhat 1L]

A reagent in a chemical reaction facilitates the chemical reaction and a reactant is a substance that is directly involved in a chemical reaction.

[Steven Luong 1E]

Hello, reagent is anything that can be used as a reactant. However, a reagent is not a reactant unless you choose to use it to create a reaction. A reagent is a reactant only when that reagent is being used to create the chemical reaction. For instance, c6h12o6 + o2 --> co2 + h2o(Not balanced). C6h12o6 is a reagent that you are now using as a reactant. NaOH is just a reagent, not a reactant because you are not using it for the purpose of the equation above.

[005006577]

Reactant and reagent are known to often be used interchangeably; however, a reactant is more specifically a substance consumed in a chemical reaction, whereas, reagents are substances or compounds that are added to see if a chemical reaction will occur.

[VindyMurthy]

They're very similar but I like to think of reactants as activated reagents. Reagents are just things in a lab and when they are used in an equation they become reactants.

[Samantha Castro 1D]

Reactant and reagent are frequently used in chemistry problems. However, reagents are compounds that are added in order to check if a chemistry reaction will take place, and reactants is a substance involved in a chemistry reaction.

[CarinaVargas1J]

Reactant and reagent are often used interchangeably—however, a reactant is more specifically a substance consumed in the course of a chemical reaction.

[MariaJohn1D]

They can be used interchangeably, but reagents are not usually solvents

[Paywand Baghal]

They can be used interchangeably, but reagents are not usually solvents

are reactants usually solvents?