Facts About Chemical Reaction For Every Chemistry Lover

Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Apr 10, 2023 By Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Originally Published on Mar 28, 2022
Edited by Rhea Nischal
Checking the chemical formula

When we say chemicals, the first thing that comes to our minds is toxic things like bleach, drain cleaner, and acid.

These are all chemicals, but the fact remains that whatever things we see around us are made of chemicals. With the application of chemical reactions, a wide range of products are used in our everyday lives, including toothpaste, shampoo, soap, cleaning agents, and many more.

These products are a result of chemical reactions. Every moment of every day causes chemical reactions inside our bodies. Just like how vital a chemical is inside our body, it is equally essential outside as well.

The three main types of single displacement reactions are metal, hydrogen, and halogen replacements.

Physical Vs Chemical Changes

Substances that change their appearance and retain their chemical composition are physical changes. Though matter takes a different form, no new substances are created during a physical change. Melting, boiling, shredding, freezing are examples of physical changes. Physical changes mean changes in its physical properties, including color, volume, shape, and changes in a phase.

A chemical change is a consequence of a chemical reaction. Cooking, burning, metal rusting, and rotting are examples of chemical changes. Chemical changes cannot be reversed. However, you can reverse this by conducting another chemical reaction.

Chemical Equation

Chemical equations use symbols for the elements to specify the amount of substance, generally in molecules, of each product and reactant.

These equations represent chemical reactions between products and reactants, which indicate their respective chemical formulae. The reacting entities are written on the left-hand side, and the products formed by the reactions are written on the right-hand side of the chemical equation.

Symbols are used to separate these entities, which describe the direction of the reaction. The reacting entity is assigned its related stoichiometric coefficient.

Types of Chemical Reaction

There are five basic types of chemical reactions. In-depth knowledge and understanding of these types of reactions will help you predict the products of an unknown reaction.

Combination Reactions: When two or more substances combine to form a new product, it is called a combination reaction or a synthesis reaction. For example, when hydrogen combines with another element, chlorine, it forms hydrochloride.

Decomposition Reactions: When the compound breaks down into two or simpler substances, it is called a decomposition reaction. Input energy in the form of heat, light, and electricity is required for most of these reactions.

Single-Displacement Reactions: When one element replaces another element in a compound, it is called a single-displacement reaction. In general, when element A is a metal, it replaces element B, which is also an element in the compound. The same is applicable for non-metals as well.

Double Replacement Reactions: Double replacement or double displacement occurs when positive and negative ions of two ionic compounds change their positions. Consider A and C as positively charged cations and B and D as negatively charged anions.

In general, these reactions occur between substances in an aqueous solution. Reactions occur when one of the products is a solid precipitate, a gas, or a molecular compound like water.

Combustion Reactions: When a matter reacts with oxygen, gaslight and heat are discharged as energy. Many combustion reactions occur with hydrocarbons, which are made of carbon and hydrogen. The products of the combustion of hydrocarbons are always water and carbon dioxide. Since a large amount of heat energy is generated with hydrocarbons, they are used as a fuel.

Energy Change In Chemical Reaction

The change in energy happens as a result of a reaction that depends on the difference between the energy of the products and the energy of the reactants.

All chemical reactions involve energy. There are two types of chemical energy during a chemical reaction.

One energy is required to break up bonds in reactants, and another is necessary for building bonds to form products. Different types of energy are exhibited with distinct chemical reactions depending on the reaction.

The energy is released in the form of electricity, sound, heat, light, or both. During some reactions, the products end up with more energy. The heat content, or the system's stored energy, is known as its enthalpy.

Other Miscellaneous Facts

Listed below are some miscellaneous facts for your immediate reference and information:

While doing vigorous or prolonged exercise, your oxygen supply exhausts; during this time, muscle cells perform anaerobic respiration.

To convert chemical energy into electrical energy, batteries use electrochemical or redox reactions.

The photochemical reaction is the reaction that occurs with the absorption of light. Photosynthesis is a typical example of a photochemical reaction.

The combination of several simple substances forms a chemical substance called a 'complex substance'.

Carbon dioxide gas can be produced by mixing baking soda with vinegar.

Hydrochloric acid, also called muriatic acid, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride.

FAQs

What causes a chemical reaction?

When two or more molecules interact to form a new molecule, the process is called a chemical reaction.

Is the ripening of a fruit a chemical change?

The ripening of the fruit is irreversible; hence, it is a chemical change.

How many chemical reactions happen in your body every day?

The enzymes in the body can carry out as many as 106–107 reactions per second.

How many chemical reactions occur in the brain?

With information traveling at 260 mph (418.42 kph), more than 100,000 chemical reactions occur per second in our brain.

Why are chemical reactions so important to our lives?

All human beings and animals reproduce, digest, heal, grow, and think due to chemical reactions. Hence, they are vital for survival.

What remains the same during a chemical reaction?

The mass, quality, and amount remain the same in a chemical reaction.

What substance is produced by a chemical reaction?

During a chemical reaction, atoms and molecules are produced and are called products.

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Written by Rajnandini Roychoudhury

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

Rajnandini Roychoudhury picture

Rajnandini RoychoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature. 

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