The Magic of Chemical Reactions
By Steve Shamis
Chemical reactions are the transformations that change matter from one form to another.
From rust forming on a bike to the digestion of your lunch, reactions are everywhere. This
article explains what a chemical reaction is, how to read chemical equations, and why
reactions occur.
A chemical reaction rearranges atoms — bonds break and new bonds form — producing
different substances. Chemists represent these transformations using chemical equations.
For example, when hydrogen reacts with oxygen to form water: 2 H2 + O2 → 2 H2O. The
equation shows the reactants on the left and products on the right, and coefficients
ensure the number of each type of atom is conserved.
Reactions follow the law of conservation of mass: atoms are neither created nor destroyed.
What changes is their connectivity. That’s why balancing equations — adjusting
coefficients so each element has the same count on both sides — is central to chemistry.
Reactions can be classified in many ways: synthesis (two or more substances combine),
decomposition (a substance breaks down), single-displacement, double-displacement, and
redox (oxidation-reduction) reactions among others. Each type has distinct patterns and
predictions you can use to anticipate products.
Reaction rates — how fast a reaction proceeds — depend on concentration, temperature,
surface area, and catalysts. Increasing the temperature typically speeds up reactions
because particles move faster and collide more often with the energy needed to react.
Catalysts speed up reactions without being consumed by offering an alternative pathway
with a lower activation energy.
Thermodynamics tells us whether a reaction is favorable. The spontaneity of a process
often depends on changes in enthalpy (heat content) and entropy (disorder). A negative
change in free energy (∆G < 0) indicates a reaction can occur spontaneously under given
conditions.
Understanding reaction mechanisms — the step-by-step sequence of events at the molecular
level — gives chemists the power to control outcomes, design efficient industrial
processes, and invent new technologies. From fireworks to pharmaceuticals, reactions are
the heart of chemistry’s transformative power.
