Introduction to Chemical
Reactions
What is a Chemical Reaction?
It is a chemical change in which one or
more substances are destroyed and one
or more new substances are created.
BEFORE AFTER
H2 gas H2O liquid
and
O2 gas
Parts of a Chemical Reaction
Reactants Products
Reactants: Substances that are destroyed by the
chemical change (bonds break).
break
Products: Substances created by the chemical
change (new bonds form).
form
The arrow () is read as “yields”.
Other symbols in chemical
reactions
• (s) = solid
• (l) = liquid
• (g) = gas
• (aq) = aqueous solution (the substance is
dissolved in H2O)
• “+” separates two or more reactants or
products
• “” yield sign separates reactants from
products
Evidence for a Chemical Reaction
1) Evolution of light or heat.
Evidence for a Chemical Reaction
2) Temperature change (increase or
decrease) to the surroundings.
Evidence for a Chemical Reaction
3) Formation of a gas (bubbling or an odor)
other than boiling.
Evidence for a Chemical Reaction
4) Color change (due to the formation of a
new substance).
Evidence for a Chemical Reaction
5) Formation of a precipitate (a new solid
forms) from the reaction of two aqueous
solutions.
Word Equations
• Statements that indicate the reactants and
products in a chemical reaction.
• Ex. Iron (s) + chlorine (g) iron (III) chloride (s)
• This is read as:
“Solid iron and chlorine gas react (combine) to produce
solid iron (III) chloride”
Translating Word Equations to
Skeleton Equations
• A skeleton equation uses chemical formulas
rather than words to identify the reactants and
products of a chemical reaction.
• The word equation
Iron (s) + chlorine (g) iron (III) chloride (s)
• The skeleton equation
Fe(s) + Cl2(g) FeCl3 (s)
A skeleton equation is not yet “balanced” by coefficients!
One more example…
• 6 Na (s) + Fe2O3 (s) 3 Na2O (s) + 2 Fe (s)
– The numbers preceding the chemical formulae are
coefficients. They are used to balance the reaction.
– The numbers within the chemical formulae are
subscripts.
– You can read the above balanced reaction as:
• “6 atoms of solid sodium plus 1 formula unit of solid
iron (III) oxide yields 3 formula units of solid sodium
oxide and 2 atoms of solid iron” or…
• “6 moles of solid sodium plus 1 mole of solid iron (III)
oxide yields 3 moles of solid sodium oxide plus 2
moles of solid iron”
• Chemical reactions can never be read in terms of
grams, only in terms of particles or groups of particles
(moles).
Conservation of Mass
During a chemical reaction, atoms are neither
created nor destroyed (Conservation of
Mass).
Hydrogen and oxygen gas react to form
water:
H2 (g) + O2 (g) H2O (l)
Conservation of Mass
H2 (g) + O2 (g) H2O (l)
What is wrong with this equation above? Doesn’t
it appear that one oxygen atom “went missing”?
According to conservation of mass, the proper way
to write this reaction is:
2H2 (g) + 1O2 (g) 2H2O (l)
The red coefficients represent the # of molecules
(or the # of moles) of each reactant or product.
Not All Properties are Conserved
During Chemical Reactions!
CONSERVED NOT CONSERVED
Mass Color
Types of atoms Physical state (solid,
Number of each atom liquid, gas)
Volume
Number of moles of
reactants/products
TYPES OF CHEMICAL
REACTIONS
There are 5 basic types….
• Single Replacement (Displacement)
(Redox)
• Double Replacement (Displacement)
(Metathesis)
• Synthesis (Combination)
• Decomposition
• Combustion
1) SINGLE REPLACEMENT
REACTION
A single uncombined
element replaces
another element in
an ionic compound.
There are two
reactants and two
products.
Ex: Zn + CuSO4 ZnSO4 + Cu
Single Replacement Reactions
Single replacement reactions have the
general form, A + BC AC + B.
Question: Do all single replacement
reactions actually occur?
Answer: Not necessarily…
Single Replacement Reactions
Examine the reaction:
Zn + CuSO4 ZnSO4 + Cu
This reaction does occur!’
Now let’s try:
Cu + ZnSO4 No Reaction
Conclusion: Zn will replace Cu in
solution, but not vice versa!
Single Replacement Reactions
How do we know which reactions will occur
and which ones will not?
We look at the “activity series”.
Elements with higher activities replace
elements with lower activities during a
single-replacement reaction, but not vice-
versa.
Activity Series for Cr
Metals
Fe
HIGHEST ACTIVITY
Ni
Li
Sn
Rb
Pb
K
H
Ba
Cu
Ca
Hg
Na
Ag
Mg
Pt
Al
Au
Mn
LOWEST ACTIVITY
Zn
Activity Series for Nonmetals
Highest Activity
Cl
Br
Lowest Activity
Predicting the Products of Single
Replacement Reactions
1) Write the reactants.
2) Identify the cation and anion of the reactant
that is a compound.
3) Use the activity series to see if the single
element will replace one of the elements in
the compound. If no reaction will occur,
just write “NR” for the products and you
are done.
4) Identify the reactant that is the element.
Determine its charge when it becomes an
ion.
5) Perform criss-cross to predict the new
compound on the products side of the
reaction.
6) Write both new products.
7) Balance the reaction.
Single Replacement Between
Metals and Water
• Some metals have a higher activity than hydrogen
and can replace it in a single replacement
reaction. In these reactions, you may think of
water (H2O) as H(OH).
• Ex: Na + H2O ?
Na + HOH ?
Na + H+OH- Na+OH- + H
2Na + 2H2O 2NaOH + H2
2) DOUBLE REPLACEMENT
Parts of two REACTION
aqueous ionic
compounds switch
places to form two
new compounds.
Example:
There are two AgNO3 + NaCl
reactants and two AgCl + NaNO3
products.
Double Replacement Reactions
The general form of a double replacement reaction is:
AB + CD AD + CB
Just like single replacement reactions, not all double
replacement reactions actually occur.
We can experimentally attempt a D.R. reaction. The
reaction occurs if:
1) A solid precipitate is produced, or
2) A gas is produced, or
3) Water is produced.
If none of the above are produced and both products are
(aq), then there is no reaction (NR)!
Examples of Double Replacement
Reactions:
Pb(NO3)2 (aq) + 2NaI (aq) PbI2 (s) + 2NaNO3 (aq)
(precipitate forming)
H(OH)
HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) NaCl (aq) + H2O (l)
(water-forming, acid-base, neutralization)
H2O (l) + CO2 (g)
CaCO3 (s) + 2HCl (aq) CaCl2 (aq) + H2CO3
(gas-forming)
Predicting the Products of Double
Replacement Reactions…
Step Example
1) Write the two reactants (both are ionic
compounds)
2) Identify the cations and anions in both of the
compound reactants
3) Pair up each cation with the anion from the
other compound
(i.e. – switch the cations)
4) Write the formula for each product using the
criss-cross method
5) Write the complete equation for the double
replacement reaction
6) Balance the equation.
7) Use the solubility rules chart to figure out which
product is a precipitate (s) and which product
is an aqueous solution (aq). If both products
are (aq) it is really not a reaction.
3) SYNTHESIS REACTION
Two or more simple substances
(the reactants) combine to form
a more complex substance (the
product).
Ex: 2Mg + O2 2MgO
SYNTHESIS REACTION
Types of synthesis:
a)Element A + Element B Compound
Na(s) + Cl2 (g) 2NaCl(s)
a)Element + Compound A Compound B
O2(g) + 2SO2(g) 2SO3(g)
a)Compound A + Compound B Compound C
CaO(s) + H2O(l) Ca(OH)2 (s)
Synthesis Reactions (cont’d)
• Metallic and nonmetallic elements react to form ionic
compounds. The resultant compound should be charge
balanced by the criss-cross method.
Ex. 4Li + O2 2Li2O
• Nonmetals react with each other to form covalent (molecular)
compounds. You should be able to draw a valid Lewis
Structure for the product.
2H2 + O2 2H2O
or
H2 + O2 H2O2
But NOT
H2 + O2 2OH
4) DECOMPOSITION REACTION
A more complex substance (the
reactant) breaks down into two
or more simple parts (products).
Synthesis and decomposition
reactions are opposites.
Ex: 2H2O 2H2 + O2 Electrolysis of
Water
DECOMPOSITION REACTIONS
(Cont’d)
Decomposition of a compound produces two or
more elements and/or compounds
The products are always simpler than the
reactant.
Gases are often produced (H2, N2, O2, CO2, etc.)
in the decomposition of covalent compounds.
Ionic compounds may be decomposed into pure
elements by using electricity (electrolysis). This is
how pure metals are obtained from salts.
The Decomposition of Water by
Electrolysis
An electrical
current can be
used to chemically
separate water into
oxygen gas and
hydrogen gas.
Notice that twice
as much hydrogen
is produced
compared to
oxygen!
2H2O 2H2 + O2
Electrolysis of Molten Sodium
Chloride Many pure metals are
obtained by using
electrolysis to separate
metallic salts (ex. NaCl
is used to obtain pure
Na).
5) COMBUSTION REACTIONS
a) All involve oxygen (O2) as a reactant,
combining with another substance
b) All combustion reactions are are
exothermic
c) Complete combustion of a
hydrocarbon always produces CO2
and H2O
d) Incomplete combustion of a
hydrocarbon will produce CO and
possibly C (black carbon soot) as well
Ex: CH4 + 2O2 => CO2 + 2H2O (complete combustion – blue flame)
Ex: CH4 + 1.5O2 => CO + 2H2O (incomplete combustion – yellow flame)
Ex: CH4 + O2 => C + 2H2O (incomplete combustion – yellow flame, soot)
Combustion (cont’d)
• Any synthesis reaction which involves O2 as a
reactant is also considered to be a combustion
reaction!
Ex. 2Mg + O2 2MgO
(metal oxide)
This is called the combustion of magnesium or
the synthesis of magnesium oxide. The
combustion of a metal always produces a metal
oxide (in this case, magnesium oxide). Make
sure the metal product is criss-crossed
correctly!
TRY TO CLASSIFY THESE:
1) C4H8 + 6O2 4CO2 + 4H2O
2) HCl + NaOH H2O + NaCl
3) 2KNO3(s) 2KNO2(s) + O2(g)
TRY TO CLASSIFY THESE:
4) 2Ag + S Ag2S
5) MgCO3(s) MgO(s) + CO2(g)
6) Cl2 + 2KBr 2KCl + Br2
Check Your Answers…
1) Combustion (of a hydrocarbon)
2) Double replacement (water forming)
3) Decomposition
4) Synthesis
5) Decomposition
6) Single Replacement
Counting Atoms
SnO2 + 2H2 → Sn + 2H2O
SUBSCRIPT COEFFICIENT
Rules for Counting Atoms
1)Coefficients propagate to the right through the
entire compound, whether or not parentheses
are present.
2) Subscripts affect only the element to the left of
the subscript, unless…
3) If a subscript occurs to the right of a
parentheses, the subscript propagates to the left
through the parentheses.
4) When a coefficient and subscript “meet”, you
must multiply the two.
Examples of Counting Atoms
SnO2 + 2H2 → Sn + 2H2O
2 C4H10 + 13 O2 → 8 CO2 + 10 H2O
Cu + 2AgNO3 → Cu(NO3)2 + 2Ag
3Pb(NO3)2 + 2AlCl3 → 3PbCl2 + 2Al(NO3)3
Classwork
Complete “The Count” worksheet
on counting atoms in chemical
reactions.
Warm-Up
2Ca3(PO4)2 + 6 SiO2 + 10C
6 CaSiO3 + P4 +10CO
Atom # Atoms on # Atoms on
Left Side Right Side
Ca
P
O
Si
C
Rules for Balancing
Chemical Reactions
__H2 + __ O2 __H2O
Balancing is about finding the
right coefficients!
Rules for Balancing
Chemical Reactions
1) You can change the coefficients, but
NEVER the subscripts!
__H2 + __ O2 __H2O
Off Limits!
Rules for Balancing
Chemical Reactions
2) The coefficients must reduced to
represent the lowest possible numbers.
4H2 + 2 O2 4H2O
Rules for Balancing
Chemical Reactions
3) It is OK to use fraction coefficients, but
you must get rid of them in the end
(multiply through by denominator).
H 2 + ½ O 2 H 2O
Rules for Balancing
Chemical Reactions
4) Often, it is helpful to save the following
elements until the end (do other
elements first):
H, C, O
Rules for Balancing
Chemical Reactions
5) Do a final balance check for each
element!
2H2 + O2 2H2O
Practice
1) K + Br KBr
2) HgO Hg + O2
3) Na + H2O NaOH + H2
Practice
4) CaO + H2O Ca(OH)2
5) Al + HCl AlCl3 + H2
