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What is a chemical reaction?

A chemical reaction is a change that takes place when
one or more substances (called reactants) form one or
more new substances (called products).
reactants

products

For example:

+
carbon

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oxygen

carbon dioxide

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Reactions all around us

How many chemical reactions go on around us everyday?

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How can you spot a chemical reaction?

Chemical reactions can appear very different.
As you observe a chemical reaction, you may detect:
a colour change
precipitate (solid) forming
energy being produced (fizzing, burning)
an odour being produced.

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Why doesnt the mass change?

In a chemical reaction, no atoms are made or destroyed.
The reaction just changes how the atoms are bonded
together.

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Does mass change during a reaction?

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What is a word equation?

A word equation uses the names of the reactants and
products to show what happens in a chemical reaction.
For example, when a piece of
sulfur is burned in oxygen gas
it produces a white solid called
sulfur dioxide.
The word equation for this
reaction is:
sulfur

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oxygen

sulfur
dioxide

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What is a symbol equation?

A symbol equation uses the formulae of the reactants and
products to show what happens in a chemical reaction.
A symbol equation must be balanced to give the correct
ratio of reactants and products.

O2

SO2

This equation shows that one atom of sulfur (S) reacts

with one molecule of oxygen (O2) to make one molecule
of sulfur dioxide (SO2).

+
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What do state symbols show?

State symbols are added to a symbol equation to show
whether the reactants and products are:
solid symbol is (s)
liquid symbol is (l)
gas symbol is (g)
dissolved in water symbol is (aq).

S (s) + O2 (g)

SO2 (g)

With state symbols in place, this symbol equation now

shows that the sulfur is a solid, the oxygen is a gas and
the sulfur dioxide is also a gas.
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Chemical reactions true or false?

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What is thermal decomposition?

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Thermal decomposition easy or hard?

Predict how easy it is to

decompose these carbonates:
copper carbonate
calcium carbonate
sodium carbonate
manganese carbonate

potassium
sodium
calcium
magnesium
aluminium
manganese
zinc
iron
copper

zinc carbonate

silver

iron carbonate.

gold

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increase in reactivity

The more reactive a metal,

the harder it is to decompose
its carbonate by heating.

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Thermal decomposition activity

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Thermal decomposition of carbonates

When the metal carbonate is heated, it decomposes to
produce a metal oxide and carbon dioxide.
iron
carbonate

heat

FeCO3

iron
oxide

carbon
dioxide

FeO

CO2

What are the word and symbol equations for the thermal
decomposition of these carbonates?
copper carbonate
manganese carbonate
zinc carbonate.
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Heating calcium carbonate

When calcium carbonate is heated,
it decomposes to produce calcium
oxide and carbon dioxide.
This reaction is carried out in industry
to make calcium oxide (quicklime)
from calcium carbonate (limestone):
calcium
carbonate
CaCO3

heat

calcium
oxide

carbon
dioxide

CaO

CO2

Calcium oxide is used to make concrete and calcium

hydroxide (slaked lime).
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Heating sodium hydrogencarbonate

Baking powder and self-raising flour contain sodium
hydrogencarbonate (also known as sodium bicarbonate).
When sodium hydrogencarbonate
is heated, it decomposes to make
sodium oxide, carbon dioxide and
water.
What effect does this reaction have
on dough as it is being baked?
The carbon dioxide released during
the reaction creates tiny bubbles,
which help the dough to rise.
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What is the decomposition equation?

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What are indicators?

Indicators are chemicals that change colour in the presence
of an acid or an alkali.
There are many different indicators. Lots of them come
from plants, like red cabbage. Different indicators turn
different colours.
Geranium plants grown
in acidic soil have red
flowers, while geraniums
grown in alkali soil have
blue flowers.
Universal indicator is a mixture of indicators. It is useful
because it shows a range of colours from pH 114.
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What does the pH scale show?

The pH scale runs from 1 to 14. The numbers 1 to 6
represent acidic conditions and 8 to 14 represent alkali
conditions. A pH value 7 is neutral.
What are the pH values of some everyday items?

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10 11 12 13 14

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What is the order of pH?

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What are acids?

Acids are substances that:
Have a pH below 7 and
turn universal indicator
yellow, orange or red.
Turn litmus red.
Form solutions containing
hydrogen ions (H+).
Hydrochloric acid is a strong
acid.
Ethanoic acid (vinegar) is a
weak acid.
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What are alkalis?

Alkalis are substances that:
Have a pH above 7 and turn
universal indicator blue or purple.
Turn litmus blue.
Can neutralize acids
Form solutions containing
hydrogen ions (H+).
Sodium hydroxide is a strong alkali.
Ammonia is a weak alkali.
When ammonia is dissolved in
water, it forms ammonium
hydroxide (NH4OH), a fertilizer.
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What are bases?

All alkalis are bases. Bases are substances that react
with acids by absorbing hydrogen ions (H+).
The oxides, hydroxides and carbonates of metals, such as
sodium hydroxide, are bases.
Ammonia is a base that does not contain a metal.
bases (react
with acids)
alkalis
(soluble
bases)
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Some bases are soluble in

water these are called alkalis.
All alkalis contain hydroxide ions
(OH). The more OH ions in the
solution, the stronger the alkali.

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Acids and bases true or false?

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How are salts made and named?

When an acid reacts with a base, a neutralization
reaction occurs and produces a chemical called a salt.
acid

base

a salt

The name of the salt depends on the names of the reactants.

The first part of the salts name comes from the base:
e.g. sodium hydroxide

sodium

The second part of the salts name comes from the acid:
e.g. sulfuric acid

sulfate

For example, if sodium hydroxide neutralizes sulfuric acid,

the product is a salt called sodium sulfate.
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What is the name of the salt?

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What are salts used for?

The colours of fireworks are
formed when certain salts burn.
Calcium chloride, for example,
burns a bright red colour.
Table salt is sodium chloride.
This is the salt used to flavour
and preserve food.
Indigestion remedies often
contain magnesium salts.
Salts can also be used as
coloured pigments in paints,
and to help fuels burn better.
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Making salts 1: acid + alkali

When an acid reacts with an alkali, the products are a salt
and water.
acid

alkali

salt

water

Water is formed because OH ions from the alkali react with

H+ ions from the acid to produce molecules of water (H2O).
For example:
hydrochloric
acid
HCl (aq)

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sodium
hydroxide

sodium
chloride

water

NaOH (aq)

NaCl (aq)

H2O (aq)

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When is the reaction complete?

The reaction between sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric
acid produces sodium chloride, which is soluble in water.
hydrochloric
acid
HCl (aq)

sodium
hydroxide

sodium
chloride

water

NaOH (aq)

NaCl (aq)

H2O (aq)

There is no obvious sign when this reaction is complete, so

an indicator is used to show when the solution is neutral.
This process is called titration.

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What is a titration?

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Making salts 2: acid + metal

When a metal is added to an acid, the products are a salt
and hydrogen gas.
acid

metal

a salt

hydrogen

For example:
hydrochloric
acid

zinc

2HCl (aq)

Zn (aq)

zinc
chloride

hydrogen

ZnCl2 (aq)

H2 (aq)

This method of making salts only works with some metals.

What would happen if potassium was used? Or copper?
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Which metal will react the most?

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Making salts 3: acid + metal oxide

When a metal oxide is mixed with an acid, the products
are a salt and water.
acid

metal oxide

salt

water

Water forms because oxygen ions from the oxide join up with
H+ ions from the acid to produce molecules of water (H2O).
For example:
hydrochloric
acid
2HCl (aq)

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calcium
chloride

calcium
oxide

CaO (aq)

CaCl2 (aq)

water

H2O (aq)
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Obtaining salts from metal oxides

When a metal oxide is added to an acid, it dissolves as it
reacts.
You know when you have added enough of the metal
oxide because it stops dissolving.
sulfuric
acid
H2SO4 (aq)

copper

oxide
CuO (s)

copper
sulfate
CuSO4 (aq)

water
H2O (aq)

How could the solid copper sulfate salt be separated

from the water?

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Obtaining salts from copper oxide

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Making salts 4: acid + carbonate

When a carbonate is mixed with an acid, the products are
a salt, carbon dioxide and water.
acid

carbonate salt

water

carbon
dioxide

Water and carbon dioxide are formed because the

carbonate ions (CO32-) react with H+ ions from the acid.
For example:
nitric
acid

2HNO3
(aq)

copper

carbonate
CuCO3
(s)

copper
nitrate

Cu(NO3)2
(aq)

water

carbon
dioxide

H2O
(aq)

CO2
(g)

What would you expect observe in this reaction?

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Making salts summary

Salts can be made by reacting acids with bases.
There are four ways of making salts from acids:
acid + alkali

a salt + water

acid + metal

a salt + hydrogen

acid + metal oxide a salt + water

acid + carbonate

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a salt + carbon dioxide + water

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Matching reactants and salts

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Complete the neutralization reaction

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What is a precipitation reaction?

Sometimes when two solutions are mixed, they react to
form an insoluble solid product.
The insoluble solid product is called a precipitate.
You can spot a precipitate because the mixture goes cloudy.
For example, mixing solutions of lead nitrate and sodium
chloride produces a yellow precipitate of lead chloride.
lead
nitrate

Pb(NO3)2 (aq)

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sodium
chloride

lead

chloride

sodium
nitrate

2NaCl (aq) PbCl2 (s)

2NaNO3 (aq)

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How can hard water be softened?

Hard water contains magnesium and calcium ions, which
can clog up pipes and heating elements. These ions can
be removed using precipitation reactions.
Sodium carbonate is added to the hard water to form
precipitates, which can then be removed by filtration.
The magnesium ions are removed by this reaction:
sodium
carbonate

Na2CO3 (aq)

magnesium
sodium

chloride
chloride
MgCl2 (aq) 2NaCl (aq)

magnesium
carbonate

MgCO3 (s)

What are the word and symbol equations for the removal
of the calcium ions?
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Precipitates of hydoxides
Many metals form hydroxide precipitates, which have
characteristic colours.
For example, when sodium hydroxide solution is added
to a solution of iron(III) chloride, the reaction produces a
brown precipitate of iron(III) hydroxide.
iron(III)
chloride

FeCl3 (aq)

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sodium
hydroxide

iron(III)
hydroxide

sodium
chloride

3NaOH (aq)

Fe(OH)3 (s)

3NaCl (aq)

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Identifying precipitates

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Identifying metals

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Precipitation true or false?

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Glossary
acid A substance that releases H+ ions in solution.
alkali A substance that releases OH- ions in solution.
base Any substance that reacts with an acid.
decomposition A type of reaction in which a compound

is broken down into two or more substances.

neutralization A type of reaction in which an acid reacts
with a base to produce a salt.
precipitate A solid, insoluble product of a reaction.
precipitation A type of reaction in which two aqueous
solutions react to form an insoluble product.
salt A substance formed when an acid reacts with a base.
titration A method of indicating when an undetectable
reaction, such as neutralization, is complete.
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Anagrams

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Completing equations

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Multiple-choice quiz

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