CHEMICAL REACTIONS AND CHEMICAL EQUATIONS

Chemical reaction
 process in which one set of substances, called reactants, is converted to a new set of substances,
called products.
 process by which a chemical change occurs

Some of the types of physical evidence to look for to say that reaction has occurred are:
 a color change
 formation of a solid (precipitate) within a clear solution
 evolution of a gas
 evolution or absorption of heat

Although the above mentioned observations usually signify that a reaction has occurred,
conclusive evidence still requires a detailed chemical analysis of the reaction mixture to identify all
the substances present. Moreover, a chemical analysis may reveal that a chemical reaction has
occurred even in the absence of obvious physical signs.

Chemical equation
 symbolic or shorthand way of representing a chemical reaction.

In a chemical equation, formulas for the reactants are written on the left side of the equation
and formulas for the products are written on the right. The two sides of the equation are joined by
an arrow ().

Example:
Consider the reaction of colorless nitrogen monoxide and oxygen gases to form red-brown
nitrogen dioxide gas.
Nitrogen monoxide + oxygen  nitrogen dioxide
To complete the shorthand representation of this reaction,
1. Substitute chemical formulas for names.
Nitrogen monoxide + oxygen  nitrogen dioxide
NO + O2  NO2

In this expression, there are three O atoms on the left side (one in the molecule NO and
two in the molecule O2), but only two O atoms (in the molecule NO2) on the right.
Because atoms are neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction, this expression
needs to be balanced.
2. Balance the numbers of atoms of each kind on both sides of the expression to obtain a
balanced chemical equation.
2NO + O2  2NO2

The coefficient 2 is placed in front of the formulas NO and NO2. This means that two
moles of NO are consumed and two moles NO2 are produced for every molecule of O2
consumed. In the balanced equation there are two N atoms and four O atoms on each
 side. In a balanced equation, the total number of atoms of each element present is the
same on both sides of the equation.

Stoichiometric Coefficients
 coefficients required to balance a chemical equation.
 essential in relating the amounts of reactants used and products formed in a chemical reaction,
through a variety of calculations.

“An equation can be balanced only by adjusting the coefficients of formulas.”

The method of equation balancing described previously is called balancing by inspection.

Balancing by inspection means to adjust stoichiometric coefficients by trial and error until a balanced
condition is found. Here are some useful strategies for balancing equations:
 If an element occurs in only one compound on each side of the equation, try balancing this
element first.
 When one of the reactants or products exists as the free element, balance this element last.
 In some reactions, certain groups of atoms (for example, polyatomic ions) remain
unchanged. In such cases, balance these groups as a unit.
 It is permissible to use fractional as well as integral numbers as coefficients. At times, an
equation can be balanced most easily by using one or more fractional coefficients and then,
if desired, clearing the fractions by multiplying all coefficients by a common multiplier.

Types of Reaction

A. Synthetic Reaction
A + B  AB
Examples:
C + O2  CO2
CaO + H2O  Ca(OH)2
3KCl + 3O2  2KClO3

B. Decomposition Reaction
AB  A + B
Examples:
2H2O  2H2 + O2
CaCO3  CaO + CO2
2KClO3  2KCl + 3O2

C. Single Replacement or Substitution

a. A + BC  B + AC
Where A and B are metals
Examples:
Zn + 2HCl  H2 + ZnCl2
2Al + 3H2SO4  3H2 + Al2(SO4)3
 Fe + CuSO4  Cu +FeSO4
b. A + BC  BA + C
Where A and C are halogens
Examples:
Cl2 + 2NaBr  2NaCl + Br2
Cl2 + 2KI  2KCl + I2
D. Double Replacement or Metathesis
AB + CD  AD + CB
Examples:
HCl + NaOH  H2O + NaCl
BaCl2 + 2AgNO3  Ba(NO3)2 + 2AgCl

Balancing Oxidation Reduction Reactions by Changing Oxidation Number

Oxidation Reaction

 Reaction in which atoms or ions undergo an increase in oxidation number or there is a loss of
electrons.

Reduction Reaction

 Reaction in which atoms or ions undergo a decrease in oxidation number or there is a gain of
electrons.

MNEMONIC:

LEORA – loss of electrons; oxidation reaction; reducing agent

GEROA – gain of electrons; reduction reaction; oxidizing agent

General Rules for Assigning Oxidation Number:

1. For an atom in its elemental form (Na, O2, Cl2, etc.), oxidation number is zero.
2. For a monatomic ion, oxidation number is equal to the ion charge.
3. The sum of the oxidation number values for the atoms in a compound is equal to zero.
However, for polyatomic ions, it is equal to the ion charge.

Rules for Assigning Oxidation Number for Specific Atoms or Periodic Table Groups:

Group # or Specific Atom Oxidation number

IA +1 in all compounds
IIA +2 in all compounds
+1 in combination with nonmetals
Hydrogen
-1 in combination with metals and boron
Fluorine -1 in all compounds
-1 in peroxides
Oxygen
-2 in all other compounds (except with F)
-1 in combination with metals, nonmetals (except O)
VIIA
and other halogens lower in the group
Examples:
Determine the oxidation number of each element in the following compounds:

1. ZnCl2
The sum of oxidation numbers for monatomic ions in the compound must be equal
to zero. The oxidation number of the Zn2+ is +2.
+2 x
ZnCl2 +2 + 2𝑥 = 0
2𝑥 = −2
𝑥 = −1
The oxidation number of Cl- is -1 but there are two chlorine atoms in ZnCl2 giving
then a total of -2.

2. SO3
The oxidation number of oxygen is -2, for a total of -6 since there are 3 oxygen
atoms. Since oxidation numbers must add up to zero, the oxidation number for S is +6.

x -2
SO3 3(−2) + 𝑥 = 0
𝑥 = +6

3. HNO3
The oxidation number of H is +1, so the oxidation numbers of the NO3 group must
add up to -1 to give zero for the compound. The oxidation number of each O is -2 for a total
of -6. Therefore the oxidation number of N is +5

+1 x -2

HNO3 +1 + 𝑥 + 3(−2) = 0
𝑥 = −1 + 6
𝑥 = +5

Steps:

1. Assign oxidation numbers to all elements in the reaction.

2. From changes in oxidation numbers, identify the oxidized and reduced species.
3. Compute the number of electrons lost in the oxidation and gained in the reduction from the
oxidation number changes. (Draw tie-lines between these atoms to show the changes)
4. Multiply one or both of these numbers by appropriate factors to make the electrons lost
equal to the electrons gained, and use the factors as balancing coefficients.
5. Complete balancing the equation by inspection.
Example:

Balance the equation: Cu + HNO3  Cu(NO3)2 + NO2 + H2O

Solution:

Step 1: Assign oxidation numbers to all elements:

0 +1 +5 -2 +2 +5 -2 +4 -2 +1 -2

Cu + HNO3  Cu(NO3)2 + NO2 + H2O

Step 2: Identify oxidized and reduced species. The oxidation number of Cu increased from 0
to +2, hence, Cu underwent oxidation reaction and is the reducing agent. The
oxidation number of N decreased from +5 to +4, therefore, HNO3 was reduced and is
the oxidizing agent.

Step 3: Compute electrons lost and electrons gained and draw tie-lines between the atoms.

-2e-

Cu + HNO3  Cu(NO3)2 + NO2 + H2O

+1e-

Step 4: Multiply by factors to make e- lost equal to e- gained, and use the factors as
coefficients. Cu lost 2e-, so the 1e- gained by N should be multiplied by 2. Using 2 as
a coefficient for NO2 and HNO3 gives

Cu + 2HNO3  Cu(NO3)2 + 2NO2 + H2O

Step 5: Complete the balancing by inspection. Balancing N atoms require a coefficient 4 on
HNO3 because of the 2 N in the Cu(NO3)2.

Cu + 4HNO3  Cu(NO3)2 + 2NO2 + H2O