1:48 AM Chemical Reactions | |
Chemical ReactionsLet's start with the idea of a reaction. In chemistry, a reaction happens when two or more molecules interact and the molecules change. That's it. What molecules are they? How do they interact? What happens? The possibilities are infinite. When you are trying to understand reactions, imagine that you are working with the atoms. Imagine the building blocks are right in front of you on the table, instead of billions of reactions in your beaker. Sometimes we do this using our chemistry toys to help us visualize the movement of the atoms. There are a few key points you should know about chemical reactions:![]() 2. A reaction could include ions, compounds, or molecules of a single element. We said molecules in the previous paragraph, but a reaction can happen with anything, just as long as a chemical change occurs (not a physical one). If you put pure hydrogen gas (H2) and pure oxygen gas in a room, they can be involved in a reaction. The slow rate of reaction will have the atoms bonding to form water (H2O) very slowly. If you were to add a spark, those gases would create a reaction that would result in a huge explosion. Chemists call that spark a catalyst. ![]() | |
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