Chemical

Reactions

A. Describing chemical reactions change of one or

more substances converted into new substances

1. Reactants are substances that combine or change

2. New substances that are produced are called
products

B. Conservation of Mass - a law which states that, in a

chemical reaction, matter is not created or destroyed;
it stays the same

1. Antoine Lavoisier experimented with mercury

II oxide and heat
2. Found that the mass of the products (liquid
mercury & oxygen gas) equaled the mass of the
reactants

C. Writing equations a chemical equation uses

formulas and symbols to describe a chemical reaction
and the products it produces
1. Chemical formula expresses the relationship
between elements in the compounds and the
molecules they make-up
2. Coefficients are the numbers which represent
the number of units of each substance in a
reaction
3. Knowing coefficients of chemical reactions
allows chemists to use the correct amounts of
reactants to predict the amounts of products
4. Subscripts numbers which represent the
number of atoms in a molecule of a particular
element
5. Symbols are used to show the state of reactants
 For example:

(s) means solid

(aq) means aqueous (water solution)
(g) gas
(l) liquid
D. There are five different types of reactions they are:

1. Composition Reaction or a Synthesis

Two or more substances form a new substance

A + B AB
Element compound

4Al + 3O2 2Al2O3

2K + Br2 2KBr

Ag + Au no reaction between two metals !!

 2. Decomposition Reactions

One substance breaks down into two or more substances

AB A + B
Compound

CuCO3 CO2 + CuO

2KClO3 3O2 + 2KCl

3. Single Replacement Reactions:

A + BX B + Ax

One element replaces another one in a compound

In the single replacement Reaction element A bumps

element B in the compound. This can only occur when A is
more active chemically Than B. You can tell this by
looking at an activity series
 Li Cr Hg
K Fe Ag
Ca Ni Pt
Na Sn Au
Mg Pb
Al H2
Zn Cu

Li + NaCl Na + LiCl

Na + LiCl no reaction

4. Double Replacement Reaction

AB + XY AY + XB

One could say that all positive ions in the compound

exchange places. For example

2NaCl + H2SO4 2HCl + Na2SO4

5. Combustion Reactions
When a compound burns in air, it is actually reacting with
the oxygen in the air. Almost all organic compounds are
hydrocarbons that are reacting with oxygen. The general
form for the combustion reaction is:
CxHy + O2 CO2 + H2O

Balancing Reactions

A. Checking for balance law of conservation of mass

requirement

1. A balanced chemical reaction you want to make

sure that both sides of the equation have the same
number of atoms of each element
2. Choosing coefficients becomes easier with
practice
Here is an example equation:

H2 + O2 H2O

It is an unbalanced equation (sometimes called a skeleton

equation). This means that there are UNEQUAL numbers
of at least one atom on each side of the arrow
In this example there are two atoms of hydrogen on each
side but there are two atoms of oxygen on the left side and
only one on the right side

Remember this: A balanced equation MUST have equal

numbers of EACH type of atom on both sides of the arrow

An equation is balanced by changing coefficients in a

somewhat trial-and-error fashion. It is important to note
that only the coefficients can be changed NOT THE
SUBSCRIPT

The coefficient times the subscript gives the total number

of atoms

Here are three quick examples of counting atoms before

balancing the equation

a. 2H2 there are 2x2 atoms of hydrogen a total of 4

b. 2H2O there are 2x2 atoms of hydrogen ( a total of 4)
and 2 x1 atoms of oxygen a total of 2
c. 2(NH4)2S There are 2x1x2 atoms of nitrogen for a
total of 4, there are 2x4x2 atoms of hydrogen ( a total
of 16) and 2x1 atoms of sulfur (a total of 2)

So now to balancing the equation:

H2 + O2 H2O
The hydrogen atoms are balanced but the oxygens are not.
We have to get both of these balanced. We have get both of
the atoms balanced. We put a two in front of the water and
this balances the oxygen

H2 + O2 2H2O

However, this causes the hydrogen to become unbalanced.

To fix this, we place a two in front of the hydrogen on the
left side

2H2 + O2 2H2O

This balances the equation

There are two things that you cannot do when balancing an
equation

1. You cannot change a subscript

For example:
You could not change the oxygens subscript in water from
one to two, as in:

H2 + O2 H2O2
Ture, this does balance the equation but you have changed
the substances in it. H2O2 is a completely different
substance from H2O

2. You cannot place a coefficient in the middle of a

formula The subscript goes at the beginning of a
formula, not in the middle, as in:

H2 + O2 H22O

Water only comes as H2O !

Balance this equation

H2 + Cl2 HCl

Remember that the rule is: A balanced equation must

have equal numbers of each type of atom on both sides
of the arrow.

The correctly balanced equation is:

H2 + Cl2 2HCl

Balance this equation

O2 O3

Think about what the least common multiple is between 2

& 3 is.

The correctly balanced equation is

 3O2 2O3
Balance these equations:

Zn + HCl ZnCl2 + H2
KClO3 KCl + O2
S8 + F2 SF6
Fe + O2 Fe2O3
C2H6 + O2 CO2 + H2O
C4H10 + O2 CO2 + H2O
Al + O2 Al2O3
N 2 + O 2 N 2O 5
FeS + O2 Fe2O3 + SO2
N2 + H2 NH3

Chemical Reactions and Energy

A. chemical reactions involve energy exchange

1. Breaking chemical bonds requires energy

2. Forming chemical bonds releases energy

B. More energy out

1. Exergonic reactions energy required to break
bonds than to form new ones; need energy for the
reaction to occur
2. If energy needed is heat, the reaction is
endothermic
3. A catalyst speeds up a chemical reaction without
itself being permanently changed
4. An inhibitor prevents or slows a chemical
reaction or interferes with a catalysts action