fbpx

Chemical Reactions

CHEMICAL REACTIONS ARE PROCESSES THAT INVOLVE THE REARRANGING OF ATOMS

 

Throughout history, scientists have been fascinated by the way that some substances can transform into other substances. During the early years of science, many scientists were also engaged in the practice of alchemy, which included attempting to turn base metals, like lead, into gold.

The total number of atoms and the total mass of the atoms is conserved during a chemical reaction. It was French chemist Antoine Lavoisier who showed that the mass of the reactants in a reaction is equal to the mass of the products. This means that no atoms are created or destroyed in a chemical reaction. However, bonds between atoms are broken, the atoms rearrange, and then new bonds are made. When using Storyboard That to model chemical reactions, you’ll want to use the “equipment” and “symbol” assets listed under “Science.”

Word equations provide the names of each of the reactants and products. For example methane + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water . In this equation, methane and oxygen are the reactants and carbon dioxide and water are the products. These equations are helpful when looking only to understand exactly what is produced in a reaction.

Chemical reactions are processes that involve the rearranging of atoms to make new substances. People often imagine that they only occur in a test tube in a science laboratory, but in reality, chemical reactions happen everywhere around us. For example, our bodies use them to function, and even some types of weather are chemical reactions. The following activities are aimed to help introduce students to chemical reactions and help them understand exactly what they are!

WordPress Lightbox