Chemical Reactions

I) A Particle View

> All chemical reactions are chemical changes because substances are changed into different
substance

e.g.) hydrogen gas and oxygen gas can chemically react to form liquid water

> All changes in matter obey the Law of Conservation of Mass therefore, in chemical reactions,
mass is not created or destroyed

- because the mass of matter comes from atoms that compose the matter, this law implies
that no atoms are created or destroyed during chemical reactions

> Chemical reactions form different substances without creating or destroying atoms, by simply
rearranging atoms

** All rearrangements of atoms in chemical reactions require the breaking of old

chemical bonds and the forming of new chemical bonds

II) Signs of Chemical Reactions

> If the atoms, molecules, and ions that composed matter could be seen, then determining if a
change in matter was a chemical change would be easy

> However, there are signs that a chemical reaction may be occurring:

1) Color change

e.g.) Fading color of objects left in direct Sun light

e.g.) Copper metal turning green or iron rusting to a reddish-brown

 2) Formation a of solid in a clear solution

3) Formation of gas (without heating) e.g.) mixing baking soda and vinegar

4) Light being given off e.g.) a fire or fire flies

5) Heat being given off or absorbed e.g.) fire, cold-pack

III) Chemical Equations

> Chemical reactions are what happens when substances react

i.e.) What's going on in a beaker

> Chemical equations are the symbols used to represent a chemical reaction

i.e.) What's written on paper

> Common symbols used in chemical equations:

2 K(s) + 2 H2O(l) 2 KOH(aq) + H2 (g)

Arrow: Indicates the direction of the reaction

Separates reactants (on left) and products (on right)

Reactants: Represented by chemical formulas of each substance that reacts

(e.g. K and H2O)

Each reactant is separated by a “+” sign

Products: Represented by chemical formulas of each substance made by the

reaction (e.g. KOH and H2)

Each product is separated by a “+” sign

(s), (l), (g): Indicate whether a substance is a solid, liquid, or gas

(aq): Indicates a substance is dissolved in water

 Coefficients: The whole numbers in front of the chemical formulas for each
reactant and product

Coefficients of "1" are not written

> Coefficients are the smallest whole numbers possible and represent either:

1) Number of atoms, molecules, or formula units of each substance

2K + 2 H2O 2 KOH + H2
2 formula
2 atoms of 2 molecules of units of 1 molecule of
potassium water potassium hydrogen
hydroxide

2) Moles of each substance

2K + 2 H2O 2 KOH + H2
2 moles of
2 moles of 2 moles of 1 mole of
potassium
potassium water hydrogen
hydroxide

IV) Balancing Chemical Equations

> A balanced chemical equation has the same number of each kind of atom or ion on both sides of
the equation

e.g.) CH4 + 2 O2 CO2 + 2 H2O

1 C-atom 1 C-atom
4 H-atoms 4 H-atoms
4 O-atoms 4 O-atoms

> All chemical equations should be balanced because the chemical reactions they represent,
obey the Law of Conservation of Mass (no atoms are created or destroyed in chemical
reactions)
> Many equations can be balanced by trial and error

a) Change only coefficients in equations, never subscripts in chem formulas

b) Number of atoms in a compound = coefficient x subscript(s)

c) Best to balance elements last

d) Always check that coefficients have been reduced to the smallest whole numbers

> Examples:

H2 + O2 H2O

P4 + N2O P4O6 + N2

Ag + H2S + O2 Ag2S + H2O

N2H4 NH3 + N2

C6H6 + O2 CO2 + H2O

Pb(NO3)2 + KI PbI2 + KNO3

Co + O2 Co2O3

CH3OH + O2 CO2 + H2O

Fe2(SO4)3 + NaOH Fe(OH)3 + Na2SO4

V) Aqueous Solutions and Solubility

> Solutions are homogeneous mixtures (substances are evenly blended)

> Any solution where a substance is dissolved in water is an aqueous solution

- represented by “(aq)” after the dissolved substance

e.g.) NaCl (aq)

> When ionic compounds dissolve in water, the ions in the crystals;

a) completely dissociate (come apart) from each other

b) become surrounded by water molecules

c) can move freely through the solution

(www.ck12.org/c/physical-science/solute-and-solvent/lesson/Solute-and-Solvent-MS-PS/)

> Ionic compounds that completely dissociate in water are strong electrolytes

- electrolytes are substances whose aqueous solutions conduct electricity

- electricity is conducted by freely moving charged particles (ions)

 > Solubility is the ability of a substance to dissolve and form a solution

- this is a physical property of all substances

- substances that dissolve and form a solution are soluble

- substances that do not dissolve are insoluble

> Predicting a substance’s solubility can be difficult so solubility rules have been developed to
serve as guidelines (Chem Table J)

VI) Precipitation Reactions in Water

= when soluble reactants combine and form a solid (insoluble) product

> Often, the reactants are water-soluble ionic compounds

> The solid formed in these reactions is called a precipitate

e.g.) 3 NaOH (aq) + FeCl3 (aq) 3 NaCl (aq) + Fe(OH)3 (s)

e.g.) 2 KI (aq) + Pb(NO3)2 (aq) PbI2 (s) + 2 KNO3

> This kind of reaction is a double-displacement reaction because ions in each compound,
displace (replace) each other – trading partners

VII) Acid-Base Reactions in Water

> Acids are substances that release H+

- other properties include: a) the ability to dissolve metals

b) having a sour taste (e.g. vinegar, lemons,
e.g.) Chem Table K

> Bases are substances that accept H+

- other properties: a) having a slippery feel

b) having a bitter taste (e.g. soap, coffee)

e.g.) common bases: LiOH, NaOH, KOH, Ca(OH)2, Ba(OH)2

A) Neutralization Reactions

= when an acid and base react, forming water and a salt

> H+ released from the acid combines with the OH – from the base

H+ (aq) + OH – (aq) H2O (l)

> Salts are water-soluble ionic compounds formed from the ions remaining after the acid
and base react

e.g.) HNO3 (aq) + LiOH (aq) LiNO3 (aq) + H2O (l)

Salt

e.g.) HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) NaCl (aq) + H2O (l)

Salt

e.g.) H3PO4 (aq) + 3 KOH (aq) K3PO4 (aq) + 3 H2O (l)

Salt

* double-displacement reactions

B) Gas-Forming Reactions

> Gas-forming reactions in water may either;

a) Form a gas directly

b) Form an intermediate product which then decomposes (breaks down) to form

a gas

1) Sulfides (compounds with S2–)

> Sulfides react with acids and directly form hydrogen sulfide gas

e.g.) 2 HNO3 (aq) + K2S (aq) H2S (g) + 2 KNO3 (aq)

e.g.) H2SO4 (aq) + MgS (aq) H2S (g) + MgSO4 (aq)

* double-displacement reactions

2) Carbonates or Hydrogen carbonates

> These compounds react with acids and form CO2 gas
 > A carbonic acid (H2CO3) intermediate forms which quickly decomposes to
carbon dioxide and water

2 H+ (aq) + CO3 2– (aq) H2CO3 (aq) CO2 (g) + H2O (l)

e.g.) HC2H3O2 (aq) + NaHCO3 (aq) CO2 (g) + H2O (l) + NaC2H3O2
e.g.) 2 HCl (aq) + CaCO3 (aq) CO2 (g) + H2O (l) + CaCl2 (aq)

* begin as double-displacement reactions

3) Sulfites or Hydrogen sulfites

> These compounds react with acids and form SO2 gas

> A sulfurous acid (H2SO3) intermediate forms which quickly decomposes to

sulfur dioxide and water

2 H+ (aq) + SO3 2– (aq) H2SO3 (aq) SO2 (g) + H2O (l)

e.g.) HClO4 (aq) + NaHSO3 (aq) SO2 (g) + H2O (l) + NaClO4 (aq)

e.g.) 2 HNO3 (aq) + K2SO3 (aq) SO2 (g) + H2O (l) + 2 KNO3 (aq)

* begin as double-displacement reactions

4) Ammonium compounds

> These compounds react with hydroxides to form ammonia (NH3)

> An ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) intermediate forms which quickly

decomposes to ammonia and water

NH4+ (aq) + OH – (aq) NH4OH NH3 (g) + H2O (l)

 e.g.) NH4I (aq) + KOH (aq) NH3 (g) + H2O (l) + KI (aq)

e.g.) NH4Cl (aq) + LiOH (aq) NH3 (g) + H2O (l) + LiCl (aq)

* begin as double-displacement reactions

VIII) Oxidation-Reduction (Redox) Reactions

> Redox reactions involve both: 1) an oxidation (a lose of electrons)

2) a reduction (a gain of electrons)

> A common type of redox reaction are combustion reactions = when a substance reacts with O2

** > If substances contain only the elements C and H or C, H, and O the products of a combustion
reaction will be CO2 and H2O

e.g.) CH4 (g) + 2 O2 (g) CO2(g) + 2 H2O (g)

e.g.) C2H6O (l) + 3 O2 (g) 2 CO2(g) + 3 H2O (g)