Chapter 21

Chemical Reactions
 Chapter 21
Section 1
Chemical Changes
 Describing Chemical Reactions
• A chemical reaction is a change in which one or
more substances are converted into new
substances.
• The substances that react are called reactants.
• The new substances produced are called
products.
– When writing a chemical reaction the products are on
the left hand side of the arrow and the reactants are
found on the right hand side.
• “Reactants” → “Products”
 Conservation of Mass
• French chemist Antoine Lavoisier established that the total
mass of the products always has to equal the total mass of
the reactants.
– He discovered this while investigating a reaction of Mercury(II)
oxide. He found that when he heated the compound he got
both mercury and oxygen gas. When he found the mass of the
liquid mercury and the oxygen gas, he found that it equaled the
mass of the compound that he started with.
• He found that mass is not created or destroyed, but is
conserved.
• This is called the law of conservation of mass.
• Lavoisier became know as the Father of Modern Chemistry
for his discoveries.
 Nomenclature
• Lavoisier realized that we needed a common
name for elements so that scientific
information could be communicated easily.
• The IUPAC coordinates the naming of
elements. Before an element is given its
permanent name it will first have an IUPAC
name to identify it.
 Writing Equations
• Table 1 on page 635 of your text give you the
meaning of various common symbols used in
chemical equations.
• The number in front of a symbol is called the
coefficient.
– A coefficient represents the number of units of
each substance taking part in a reaction.
• The little number under the symbol is called a
subscript.
• For example:
– If you see H2O this means only one molecule of
water is used/produced in the reaction.
• This molecule has 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen
atom.
– If you see 2H2O then that means that two
molecules of water are used/produced in the
reaction.
• Each molecule has 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen
atom. Meaning you have a total of 4 hydrogen atoms
and 2 oxygen atoms.
 Metals and the atmosphere
• When iron is exposed to air and moisture, it corrodes
or rusts, forming hydrated iron (III) oxide.
– Rust can seriously damage iron structures because it
crumbles and exposes more iron to the air.
• Aluminum also reacts with oxygen in the air to form
aluminum oxide.
– Unlike rust, aluminum oxide adheres to the aluminum
surface, forming an extremely thin layer that protects the
aluminum from further attack.
• Copper is another metal that corrodes when it is
exposed to air, forming a blue-green coating called a
patina.
– You can see this type of corrosion on many public
monuments.
 Ch 21
Section 2
Chemical Equations
 Balanced Equations
• The law of conservation of mass states that
mass can not be created or destroyed, it has
to be converted.
• We must make sure that we have the same
amounts of atoms on each side of a chemical
equation. This is called balancing an equation.
 Choosing Coefficients
• Steps for Balancing an equation:
– Step 1: Write the chemical equation for the
reaction using formulas and symbols.
– Step 2: Count the number of atoms in the
reactants and the products.
– Step 3: Choose coefficients that will balance the
equation. Never change a subscript.
– Step 4: Recheck the numbers of atoms on each
side of the equation and adjust the coefficients if
it is still not balanced.
 Examples
HgO(s) → Hg(l) + O2(g)
Mg(s) + O2(g) → MgO(s)
Li(s) + H2O → LiOH(aq) +H2
• Answer Questions #2 and 6 on P. 640 of the
text book
 Ch. 21
Section 3
Classifying Chemical Reactions
 Types of Reactions
• There are five main categories of chemical
reactions:
– Combustion
– Synthesis
– Decomposition
– single displacement
– double displacement
 Combustion Reactions
• When a substance reacts with oxygen to
produce energy in the form of heat and light.
• Combustions create one or more products
that contain the elements of the reactants.
• Many combustions reactions will fit into other
categories.
 Synthesis Reactions
• Two or more substances combine to form
another substance.
– The general formula for this type of reaction is:
•A + B → AB
• An example is when hydrogen burns in oxygen
to produce water.
2H2 (g) + O2 (g) → 2H2O (g)
 Decomposition Reactions
• When one substance breaks down into two or
more substances.
• The general formula for this type of reaction
is:
AB → A + B
 Single Displacement
• When one element replaces another element
in a compound.
• The general formula that describes this
reaction is:
A + BC → AC + B
• An example of a single displacement reaction:
Cu (s) + 2AgNO3 (aq) → Cu(NO3)2 (aq) + 2Ag (s)
 Double Displacement
• The positive ion of one compound replaces
the positive ion of the other to form two new
compounds.
• Takes place if a precipitate, water, or a gas
forms when two ionic compounds in solution
are combined.
– Precipitate – an insoluble compound that comes
out of solution during this type of reaction.
• The general formula for this reaction is:
AB + CD → AD + CB
 Ch. 21
Section 4
Chemical Reactions and Energy
Chemical Reactions – Energy Exchanges
• All chemical reactions release or absorb energy.
• The energy can take many forms
– Such as heat, light, sound, or electricity.
• Chemical Bonds are the source of the energy.
– In some reactions energy is required to break
chemical bonds.
– When new products are formed, new chemical bonds
are formed.
• This releases energy.
 More Energy Out
• Chemical reactions that release energy are
called exergonic reactions.
– Less energy is required to break the bonds then is
released when new bonds form.
– Some of the energy is given off by the reaction.
• When the energy given off by a reaction is
mostly heat, the reaction is called an
exothermic reaction.
– The burning of wood, or the explosion of
dynamite are examples of exothermic reactions.
– Heat packs work this way.
 More Energy In
• When a reaction required more energy to
break bonds than is released when new ones
are formed it is called an endergonic reaction.
– Electricity is often used to supply energy to these
types of reactions.
• When the energy needed is in the form of
heat, the reaction is called an endothermic
reaction.
– This is how a cold pack works.
 Catalysts and inhibitors
• A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a
chemical reaction without being permanently
changed itself.
• An inhibitor is used to slow down a chemical
reaction.
– The preservatives BHT and BHA are inhibitors used
to prevent spoilage of certain foods.