chemical reactions

Examples of chemical reactions in the following topics:

• Energy Changes in Chemical Reactions

  • Due to the absorption of energy when chemical bonds are broken, and the release of energy when chemical bonds are formed, chemical reactions almost always involve a change in energy between products and reactants.
  • By the Law of Conservation of Energy, however, we know that the total energy of a system must remain unchanged, and that oftentimes a chemical reaction will absorb or release energy in the form of heat, light, or both.
  • The energy change in a chemical reaction is due to the difference in the amounts of stored chemical energy between the products and the reactants.
  • This stored chemical energy, or heat content, of the system is known as its enthalpy.
  • Describe the types of energy changes that can occur in chemical reactions

• Introduction to Chemical Reactivity

  • Now that we can recognize these actors ( compounds ), we turn to the roles they are inclined to play in the scientific drama staged by the multitude of chemical reactions that define organic chemistry.
  • Chemical Reaction: A transformation resulting in a change of composition, constitution and/or configuration of a compound (referred to as the reactant or substrate).
  • Reactant or Substrate: The organic compound undergoing change in a chemical reaction.
  • Reagent: A common partner of the reactant in many chemical reactions.
  • Catalysts are substances that accelerate the rate ( velocity ) of a chemical reaction without themselves being consumed or appearing as part of the reaction product.

• Amount of Reactants and Products

  • Stoichiometry is the study of the relative quantities of reactants and products in chemical reactions and how to calculate those quantities.
  • Chemical equations are symbolic representations of chemical reactions.
  • The numerical coefficients next to each chemical entity denote the proportion of that chemical entity before and after the reaction.
  • The law of conservation of mass dictates that the quantity of each element must remain unchanged in a chemical reaction.
  • Reaction stoichiometry describes the quantitative relationship among substances as they participate in various chemical reactions.

• Free Energy

  • Since chemical reactions release energy when energy-storing bonds are broken, how is the energy associated with chemical reactions quantified and expressed?
  • Every chemical reaction involves a change in free energy, called delta G (∆G).
  • These chemical reactions are called endergonic reactions; they are non-spontaneous.
  • Therefore, the chemical reactions involved in anabolic processes are endergonic reactions.
  • Most chemical reactions are reversible.

• Changes in Temperature

  • Changes in temperature shift the equilibrium state of chemical reactions; these changes can be predicted using Le Chatelier's Principle.
  • Changes in temperature can affect the equilibrium state of a reversible chemical reaction.
  • Le Chatelier's Principle states that when changes are made to a reversible chemical reaction in equilibrium, the system will compensate for that change with a predictable, opposing shift.
  • Reactions can be classified by their enthalpies of reaction.
  • Evaluate the effect of temperature on the equilibrium state of a chemical reaction

• Chemical Reactions and Molecules

  • Chemical reactions occur when two or more atoms bond together to form molecules or when bonded atoms are broken apart.
  • Chemical reactions occur when two or more atoms bond together to form molecules or when bonded atoms are broken apart.
  • The substances used in the beginning of a chemical reaction are called the reactants (usually found on the left side of a chemical equation), and the substances found at the end of the reaction are known as the products (usually found on the right side of a chemical equation).
  • An arrow is typically drawn between the reactants and products to indicate the direction of the chemical reaction.
  • Explore reactions in which chemical bonds are formed and broken with this model.

• Chemical Kinetics and Chemical Equilibrium

  • Chemical kinetics is the study of how quickly a chemical reaction occurs and what factors affect its rate.
  • Obviously, there are factors that affect the rates of chemical reactions.
  • Knowing how quickly a chemical reaction occurs is a crucial factor in how the reaction affects its surroundings and vice versa.
  • The interval required for a chemical change or reaction to occur is called the reaction time.
  • Discuss which aspects of a reaction are described by chemical kinetics

• Writing Chemical Equations

  • A chemical equation expresses a chemical reaction by showing how certain reactants yield certain products.
  • A chemical equation is the symbolic representation of a chemical reaction.
  • The reactants (the starting substances) are written on the left, and the products (the substances found in the chemical reaction) are written on the right.
  • The coefficients next to the symbols of entities indicate the number of moles of a substance produced or used in the chemical reaction.
  • A chemical equation consists of the chemical formulas of the reactants (on the left) and the products (on the right).

• Reaction Quotients

  • The reaction quotient is a measure of the relative amounts of reactants and products during a chemical reaction at a given point in time.
  • The reaction quotient, Q, is a measure of the relative amounts of reactants and products during a chemical reaction at a given point in time.
  • By comparing the value of Q to the equilibrium constant, Keq, for the reaction, we can determine whether the forward reaction or reverse reaction will be favored.
  • As the reaction proceeds, assuming that there is no energy barrier, the species' concentrations, and hence the reaction quotient, change.
  • Calculate the reaction quotient, Q, and use it to predict whether a reaction will proceed in the forward or reverse direction

• The Rate Law

  • The rate law for a chemical reaction relates the reaction rate with the concentrations or partial pressures of the reactants.
  • The rate law for a chemical reaction is an equation that relates the reaction rate with the concentrations or partial pressures of the reactants.
  • The exponents x and y vary for each reaction, and they must be determined experimentally; they are not related to the stoichiometric coefficients of the chemical equation.
  • To reiterate, the exponents x and y are not derived from the balanced chemical equation, and the rate law of a reaction must be determined experimentally.
  • What is the reaction order?