Term 2 Class 7

The City School

Handout Number: Science 4.7
Topic: Simple Chemical Reactions
Learners will be able to:
➢ Compare and differentiate between physical and chemical changes
➢ Identify a chemical reaction as a process leading to the formation of new products
➢ Use ‘word equations’ to represent chemical reactions
➢ Differentiate between the various types of chemical reactions
➢ Recognize that everyday changes such as burning and rusting involve chemical reactions

Change is occurring all around us all of the time. Just as chemists have categorized elements and
compounds, they have also classified kinds of changes. Changes can be classified as physical or chemical
changes. Definition of Physical change: is a process in which the material experiences alteration in its
physical properties like shape, size, volume, appearance, color, state (i.e. solid, liquid, gas), etc., that,
without making any alteration in their molecular composition. These alterations are unstable; that can be
reversed using simple physical methods. The same element or compound occurs prior, or after the change,
i.e. the original physical appearance of the object
remains unchanged. For instance, melting of wax,
dissolving sugar in water, boiling of water,
chopping wood, crumpling of paper, etc.
Definition of Chemical Change Chemical: Change
is defined as the procedure in which the atoms of
one or more substances are reordered or combined to form a new substance. When a substance
experiences a chemical change, the chemical character of the substance changes and it is converted into a
different substance with a different chemical configuration. The evolution of energy, the creation of bubbles,
and changes in temperature are some signs of chemical change. Alternately, known as a chemical reaction,
where the substances involved are called reactants, and the result of the reaction is known as a product.
Energy change is one of the features of
a chemical change, because of the
development of the new product.
Once the chemical alteration takes
place, it cannot be overturned. For
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instance, bleaching a stain, adding vinegar to baking soda, fermenting grapes, etc.
Remarks that Help to Sign Chemical Change Include: 1- Temperature changes (increases or decreases). 2-
Unexpected color shift (a material with an altered color is prepared, rather than just mixing the original
colors together).3- Light is given off. 4- Different smell or taste (do not try to taste your chemistry
experiments, though!).5- A solid is formed if two clear liquids are mixed (precipitate).6- Bubbles are made
(but the mixture is not boiling).

Word equation:
a. A word equation is one way of representing a chemical reaction: it tells you what reacts and what is
produced.
b. Word equations are written in a particular format.
i. The left side of a word equation lists the names of all the reactants (the substances present at the
beginning).
ii. The right side lists the names of all the products (the substances present at the end).
iii. An arrow points from the reactants to the products
c. For example, when methane (or natural gas) burns, carbon
dioxide and water are formed.
1. The word equation is methane + oxygen → water + carbon
dioxide
2. The reactants are two molecules of oxygen gas (O2) and one molecule of methane (CH4)
3. The chemical reaction produces two molecules of water (H2O) and one molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2).
Heat and light are also produced.
4. Notice all the atoms present at the beginning of the chemical reaction are present after the reaction. The
total mass of the atoms in the reactants remains equal to the total mass of the atoms in the products.

Types of chemical reactions:

There are different categories of chemical reactions.
Combustion Reactions is the very rapid reaction of a substance with oxygen to produce compounds called
oxides. We often call this process burning
Combustion reactions are those that involve
the burning of compounds. A reactant,
usually a hydrocarbon, reacts with oxygen
gas (O2), to produce carbon dioxide gas (CO2) and water vapor (H2O). Combustion reactions also produce
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energy in the form of heat and/or light. Example: gasoline, reacts with oxygen gas in the air to produce
carbon dioxide gas and water vapor, but most importantly, energy.
2C8H18 + 25O2 → 16CO2 + 18H2O

Synthesis Reaction: A synthesis reaction occurs

when two reactants interact to form one product. The
product created is different from both of the reactants.
A typical example of a synthesis reaction is the
formation of table salt. Sodium and chlorine ions interact to form sodium chloride.

Decomposition reaction occurs when the reactant breaks down into simpler products. A common
example of a decomposition reaction is
the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. The
decomposition of hydrogen peroxide results in
water and oxygen gas.

Single replacement Reaction: Single replacement reactions occur when a single element replaces an
element in another compound. This produces
a new compound and a new element. A
common example of a single replacement
reaction is the reaction of Tin chloride and
zinc. In the reaction, zinc replaces tin to form zinc chloride and tin as a single element.

Double replacement Reaction: A double replacement reaction exchanges ionic species in two
compounds to form two completely new compounds. Double replacement reactions swap cations or the
anions, but not both. An example of a
double-replacement reaction is the
reaction between Lead nitrate and
Potassium iodide. The lead cation and
potassium cation switch places
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Burning and Rusting: