The molecule is termed the combination or cluster of atoms bound together by a chemical bond. This chemical bond of the atoms can be altered according to the desired condition to form a new bond. This re-organising and rearranging of the atoms is known as a chemical reaction. A chemical reaction has two terminologies, a reactant, the compound that is reacting together to form a new compound, and the product is the outcome result. On the basis of this rearrangement, the chemical reaction is categorised into four basic groups: synthesis reaction, decomposition reaction, single replacement reaction and double replacement reaction.
What are CHEMICAL REACTIONS?
A chemical reaction definition states the alteration or reorganisation of the atoms to form a new bond. A chemical reaction consists of a reactant and product. Reactants are the chemical compounds that are going through a chemical reaction, whereas the product is the outcome or the result of that chemical reaction. While representing a chemical reaction, arrows are put between reactants and products to show the type of reaction that is taking place, i.e., reversible or non-reversible. The chemical reaction also consists of coefficients, which represents the number of molecules of each chemical compound that are taking part in the chemical reaction. It is quite necessary for the chemical reaction to be in a state of equilibrium so as to follow the Law of Conservation of matter.
PROPERTIES OF A CHEMICAL REACTION:
Some basic properties of a chemical reaction are:
- A chemical reaction definition expresses it as a reaction taking place when two or more compounds or molecules undergo a reaction to form a new bond.
- The chemical reaction consists of two terminologies, a reactant and a product.
- A chemical reaction is said to have a physical change, for example, heat evolution, change in colour, precipitation, etc.
- A chemical reaction is considered to follow the Law of conservation of matter., i.e., the atom is neither destroyed nor created.
- The rate or the speed of the chemical reaction depends upon various factors like pressure, temperature, etc.
EXOTHERMIC AND ENDOTHERMIC CHEMICAL REACTION
A chemical reaction is said to be an exothermic reaction if the new bond created by rearranging the atoms releases heat energy. An example of an exothermic reaction is the burning of methane gas in the presence of air. It is represented as.
An endothermic reaction is said to be a thermic reaction if the heat energy or any kind of energy is absorbed while performing the reaction. One common example of endothermic thermic reaction is the formation of nitric acid by reacting the nitrogen molecule along with oxygen. It is represented as,
TYPES OF CHEMICAL REACTIONS:
- Synthesis Reactions: A synthesis reaction is a chemical reaction in which one or more compounds combine together to form a complex product. It is represented as,
A+BAB
- Decomposition Reactions: In a chemical decomposition reaction, a compound that is complex in nature is broken into a simpler product. It is represented as,
ABA+B
- Single Displacement Reactions: A single displacement reaction is a reaction in which one element of a compound is displaced by another element. For Simplifying, it can be represented as,
A+BCAC+B
- Double Displacement Reactions: A double displacement reaction is said to be a chemical reaction in which two compounds exchange their bonds or ions to form a complex product. It is represented as,
AB+CDAD+CB
EXAMPLES:
- Synthesis Reactions: One of the common examples of a synthesis reaction is the combination of iron and sulphur to form Iron (II) sulphide,
- Decomposition Reactions: The electrolysis of water is one of the most common and basic examples of decomposition reactions. Chemically, it is expressed as,
- Single Replacement Reactions: The reaction of zinc with that of hydrochloric acid is an example of a single replacement reaction. The chemical reaction is expressed as,
- Double Replacement Reactions: Chemical reaction taking place between sodium chloride and silver nitrate is an example of a double replacement reaction. Chemically it is expressed as,
CONCLUSION:
The molecules out of which everything is made is just a combination of atoms that are bonded together in a chemical bond. The breakage of this old bond and altering the atoms to form a new bond is termed a chemical reaction. The chemical reaction tends to follow the Law of conservation of matter, for which it had to be in equilibrium. On the basis of the atom reorganisation, the chemical reaction is divided into four basic types: synthesis reaction, decomposition reaction, single replacement reaction and double replacement reaction. To understand the concept of chemical reaction deeply, it is required to have the knowledge of Reduction-Oxidation (Redox) reaction as well as an acid-Base reaction.