Defining a Chemical Reaction
A chemical reaction is a process that involves the rearrangement of the atomic structure of a substance, resulting in the formation of new substances with different properties. It's essentially atoms breaking existing bonds and forming new ones.
Key Components: Reactants and Products
In any chemical reaction, the starting materials are called reactants, and the substances formed are called products. The law of conservation of mass states that atoms are neither created nor destroyed, only rearranged, so the total mass of reactants equals the total mass of products.
Everyday Example: Burning Wood
A common example is burning wood. Wood (primarily cellulose) reacts with oxygen from the air (reactants) to produce ash, carbon dioxide gas, and water vapor (products), along with light and heat. The ash and gases are entirely different substances from the original wood.
Importance and Types of Reactions
Chemical reactions are fundamental to all life processes, manufacturing, and environmental phenomena. They can be classified in various ways, such as synthesis, decomposition, single displacement, and double displacement, each describing a different pattern of atomic rearrangement.