In a chemical equation, what are the reactants?

In a chemical equation, the reactants are defined as the starting substances involved in the reaction. They are the materials that undergo transformation during the chemical process to form new substances. In the context of a chemical reaction, these reactants are placed on the left side of the equation.

For example, in the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen to form water, hydrogen and oxygen are the reactants that react together. Once the reaction occurs, they are converted into the product, which in this case is water, represented on the right side of the equation. Understanding the role of reactants is crucial because it helps one grasp how chemical reactions occur and what substances are needed to initiate such transformations.