Revision 1– Chemical Reactions (Year 10)

1. How do you know if a chemical reaction has taken place?

● Change in the temperature, odour, new substance formed, heat produced,
change in colour,
2. If a chemical change involves the rise in temperature, it is referred to as an
exothermic reaction. On the other hand, if there is a drop-in temperature, the
chemical change is said to be endothermic.
Some examples of exothermic reactions are:
 burning
 neutralisation reactions between acids and alkalis
 the reaction between water and calcium oxide
Write down word equations to represent each of the three exothermic
reactions
● Burning= element + oxygen = elemental oxide
● Acids+ alkalis = salts + water
● Water + calcium oxide = calcium hydroxide

Some examples of endothermic reactions are:

 photosynthesis
 cooking an egg

Write a word equation for photosynthesis

● Water + carbon dioxide + light = glucose + oxygen

3. List 5 chemical compounds used in the home

● Water, baking powder, sugar, vinegar, bleach

4. How would you define an acid? Name 2 acids found in the home.
● An acid is a chemical substance which contains hydrogen and can react with
other bases to form salts. They are corrosive, taste sour and turns blue litmus red.
Eg, vinegar and citric acid.
 5. How would you define a base? What is the difference between a base and an
alkali? Name 2 base/alkali found in the house?
● Compounds that react with acids to form salts. Bases turn red litmus blue and
have a pH greater than 7 and have a bitter taste. Eg, toothpaste, washing powder.

6. What happens when an acid is added to an alkali?

● A salt and water are formed.

7. Name 2 salts used in the home.

● Table salt, and baking powder.

8. The Periodic Table has about 111 elements. What gives each element
different chemical properties?
 They have different number of protons.

9. Write down the chemical formula for the following compounds:

Chemical compound Chemical formula
Water H2O
Carbon dioxide CO2
Hydrochloric acid HCl
Sulphuric acid H2SO4
Nitric acid HNO3
Sodium hydroxide NaOH
Ammonium hydroxide NH4OH
Sodium chloride NaCl
Marble/ limestone CaCo3
Glucose C6H12O6
Sucrose C12H22O11
Ammonia NH4

10. What does the law of conservation of mass state?

  Matter can nor created or destroyed it is on my rearranged. The number of
atoms in the reactants should be equal to the one in products.

11. How would you explain the loss of mass in a chemical reaction such as
burning a piece of wood?
 When wood burns, it combines with oxygen and changes to ashes, carbon
dioxide and water vapour. The gases float off into the air, leaving behind just
the ashes. The mass of the soot, ashes, and gases, equals the original mass
of the charcoal and the oxygen when it first reacted.

12. What do you understand by the sentence –‘In a chemical reaction there is
only a rearrangement of atoms and not the creation of matter’
 In a chemical reaction there is no creation of matter, only the bonds between
the atoms in reactants are broken and they rearrange and form new bonds to
make the products.

13.Write down the general equations for the chemical reactions given below:

Chemical reaction General Equation

Metal + acid Metal + acid = salt + hydrogen gas
Combustion Element + oxygen = elemental oxide

1. Acid + basic oxide Acid + oxide = salt + water

2. Neutralisation Acid + base = salt + water
3. Acid + carbonate Acid + carbonate = salt + water + carbon dioxide

14. How would you test the following gases:

Gas Test
Oxygen Splinter burn more brightly
Hydrogen Pop sound
Carbon dioxide Extinguished a glowing splinter
15. List two differences between combustion and respiration
Respiration Combustion
living organism Non living organism
Doesn’t create smoke Creates smoke

Amount of heat is controlled Uncontrolled

16. What is precipitation? Give an example of precipitation.

 Reactions that produce a solid from the mixing of two solutions.
Sodium hydroxide + lead nitrate = sodium nitrate + lead hydroxide
Lead hydroxide is the precipitate.

17. What is decomposition? Give an example.

 A reaction where a single compound breaks into simpler compound eg, water
– hydrogen and oxygen, hydrogen peroxide- oxygen and water

18. Define pH. How is it related to acids and alkalis?

 pH (potential hydrogen) is numerical measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a
solution. This pH test measures the amount of hydrogen ions that exists in a
given solution. High concentrations of hydrogen ions yield a low pH (acidic
substances), whereas low levels of hydrogen ions result in a high pH (basic
substances).
19. What is a indicator? Give 2
 A chemical substance that changes colour to indicate pH. Universal indicator,
litmus.
20. How can you test the pH of the soil in your garden.
 Place soil in a test tube
 Pour some water into the test-tube
 Pour universal indicator
 Observe the change in colour
 Look at the universal indictor colour chat to determine is pH.