ChemicalEquationsandReactions

IntroductiontoChemicalReactions
Aboveall,thescienceofchemistryisthestudyofchemicalchangesorreactionsthatis,thetransformation
ofonesubstanceintoanother.
Chemicalequations
showusthe"beforeandafter"ofachemicalreaction.
Likeamathematicalequation,a
chemicalequation
representsaprocessandaresult.Inthiscase,weare
lookingattheresultofachemicalchange.Theequationshowsusthesubstanceorsubstancesenteringthis
changethe
reactants
.Italsogivesusthesubstanceorsubstancesformedthe
products
.Anarrowis
usuallyusedtorepresentmakesoryields,representingthechemicalchangefromreactantstoproducts.

ACloserLook:TheChemicalEquationforPhotosynthesis
Photosynthesisisoneofthemostcommonandimportantchemicalreactionsonearth.Allplantsandmany
bacteriaandprotistscarryoutphotosynthesis.Thischemicalreactionhastransformedearthsatmosphere
throughtheproductionofoxygen,andmadeanimallifeonourplanetpossible.Hereiscloserlookatthis
importantchemicalreaction:

Thischemicalequationsaysthatourreactantsconsistofsixmoleculesofcarbondioxide(eachmadeupof
oneatomofcarbonboundtotwoatomsofoxygen)andsixmoleculesofwater(eachmadeoftwoatomsof
hydrogenboundtooneatomofoxygen),andthatithasyielded()twoproductsnamely,asingle
moleculeofglucose(sugar)andsixmoleculesofoxygengas(eachconsistingoftwooxygenatoms).The
italicizedsubscripts(
s,l,g
)alertustothephase(solid,liquid,orgas)ofeachreactantandproduct.

Sometimesaspecialconditionisrequiredinorderforachemicalreactiontooccur.Thesespecial
requirementsaretypicallywrittenaboveorbelowthearrowsymbol.Commonexamplesincludelight(asin
thephotosynthesisreactionabove),heat,orthepresenceofacatalyst(achemicalthatincreasesthespeed
ofareactionwithoutitselfundergoingachemicalchange).

ChemicalReactionClues
Therearefourcluesscientistscanusetodetermineifachemicalreaction(change)hasoccurred.Thefirst
isthereleaseorintakeofheatresultinginatemperaturechange.Reactionsthatconsume(takein)heatare
calledendothermic(endo=INthermic=heat),whilereactionsthatrelease(giveoff)heatarecalled
exothermic(exo=OUTthermic=heat).Thesecondclueisacolorchange.Whennewproductsare
formed,theyoftenhavedifferentphysicalproperties(colors)thanthereactants.Thethirdclueisthe
formationofagas,whichiseasilyobservedasbubbling.Lastly,istheformationofaprecipitate.A
precipitateisasolidthatformswhentwoliquidsarecombined.Precipitatesmayfullysinktothebottomofa
solutionormaybeobservedasacloudinessintheliquids.

ChemicalEquationsandReactions
IntroductiontoChemicalReactions
Chemicalreactions
(alsocalled
chemicalchanges
)
occurwhentwoormoremoleculescombineor
separateandthemoleculeschange.

Bonds
betweenatomsarebrokenorcreatedtoformnew
molecules
.Youneedtorememberthatachemicalreactioncanhappenwithanythingelements,
atoms,molecules,compounds,ionsjustaslongasachemicalchangeoccurs.Thepossibilitiesare
endlessfromtoothpastetomarshmallowpeeps.

ACloserLook:TheChemicalEquationforPhotosynthesis
The
reactants
arethe
thingsthatgointoachemicalreaction
.Thereactantsarewrittenontheleftof
achemicalreaction.Thereactantsforphotosynthesisare6CO
moleculesand6H
Omolecules.
2
2
Thebignumber(6)tellsyouthe
numberofmolecules
.Ifthereisnobignumber,itmeansthereis
justoneofthatmolecule.The
subscripts
(
)tellyouthenumberofatomsineachmolecule.Ifthere
2
isnosubscriptitmeansthereisjustoneofthatatominthemolecule.Whenthesemolecules
combineorbondthe
products
areformed.Theproducts,onrightofthechemicalreaction,arethe
thingsthataremadeattheend
ofachemicalreaction.TheproductsforphotosynthesisareC
H
O
6
12
6
(GlucoseSugar)and6O
(oxygen).The
arrow
thatgoesfromthereactantstotheproductsmeans
2
yieldsormakes.
ChemicalReactionofPhotosynthesis

Sometimesa
specialcondition
isrequiredinorderforachemicalreactiontooccur.Thesespecial
requirementsaretypicallywrittenaboveorbelowthearrowsymbol.Commonexamplesincludelight
(asinthephotosynthesisreactionabove),heat,orthepresenceofa
catalyst
(achemicalthat
speedsupareaction).

ChemicalReactionClues
Scientistscanusesimpleobservationstotellifachemicalreactionishappening.Thefirstclueisa
temperaturechange
ifitfeelshotorcold.Reactionsthatuse(takein)heatwillfeelcold,while
reactionsthatgiveoffheatwillfeelhot.Thesecondclueisa
colorchange
.Whennewproductsare
made,theyoftenhavedifferentcolorsthanthereactants.Thethirdclueisthe
formation(making)of
agas
,whichisobservedasbubbling.Lastly,istheformationofa
precipitate
.A
precipitate
is
a
solidthatismadewhentwoliquidsarecombined
.Precipitatesmaysinktothebottomormightmake
theliquidslookcloudy.