Chemical changes are when material changes into another new material with an entirely different property. However, a chemical change occurs when a substance comes in combination with another substance and forms a new product.
It could either synthesize or decompose to form a new substance. It could also split a material to change into more than one new substance.
A chemical change is usually irreversible and can be reversed only by another chemical reaction.
Here are the chemical changes that happen in our day-to-day lives.
Chemical changes occur all the time. Some examples include:
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Chemical Change Properties
Every chemicals change will have a chemical reaction. This is what causes a change in the chemical bond of the original substance.
A chemical reaction will create a new chemical substance or several new chemical substances which occur with one or more reactants. The new product has a new chemical as well as physical property than the reactant.
Here are the characteristics that you would notice in a chemical change.
A single reaction does not suffice to let you know if it is a chemical change and not just a physical change. There have to be several characteristics to confirm that it is a chemical change.
Types of chemical changes
Chemical changes are of three kinds. These are organic, inorganic, and biochemical chemical changes.
1. Organic reactions
Organic compounds are complex compounds made of carbon-containing one or more atoms linked covalently to the atoms of other elements. Some examples are:
Burning of natural gas:
This is a combustion reaction. Natural gas combusts the methane gas, and when methane and oxygen react with the oxygen present in the atmosphere, it produces carbon dioxide and water.
Fruits ripening:
There are a series of chemical changes that happen when the fruit ripens. Fruits contain ethylene. The ethylene production increases when the fruit is damaged or when it is plucked. This produces new enzymes which react with the chemicals that are present in the fruit.
The fruit thus becomes soft and juicy. The exterior color of the skin changes because of the breaking down of chlorophyll, and aroma is emitted from the ripe fruit.
2. Inorganic reactions
Chemical changes in inorganic compounds happen when there is a reaction between the element and compound without the involvement of carbon atoms. Some examples are:
Steel formation:
Steel is formed when other materials are added to iron in a definite quantity. This forms new substances with properties that are different from iron.
Firework lighting:
Firework has metal nitrates and thus burns the compounds. When you light a firework, it causes combustion, forming a new substance that emits light and heat.
3. Biochemical reactions
Biochemical changes deal with the growth and activity of various living organisms. Photosynthesis is an example of a biochemical change. It is a process that plants use to convert light energy into chemical energy.
This chemical process occurs in plants, and the reaction causes the plants to convert carbon dioxide and water to oxygen and sugar.
Examples of chemical changes
FAQs – Chemical change
Q1. Give an example of a chemical change
A chemical change causes a chemical transition, and a physical change causes a change in the structure of the matter without changing the chemical identity of the substance. Cooking, burning, rotting, and rusting are examples of chemical changes.
Q2. How will you know if it is a chemical change?
If you notice these chemical transition conditions, then it confirms that it is a chemical change. This includes gas formation, color change, smell change, precipitate formation, and temperature change.
Q3. Souring of milk – Is it a chemical change?
A chemical change causes a molecular level change that can’t be reversed. It creates a new substance. Souring milk produces new molecules, and it is thus a chemical change that cannot be reversed.
Q4. What are the properties of a chemical change?
A chemical change causes a change of one matter type into another. Toxicity, flammability, reactivity, and combustion of heat are the properties of chemical changes.
Conclusion
Chemical changes could occur because of combination or synthesis, a single replacement or a double replacement equation, decomposition, combustion, oxidation or reduction, neutralization, and precipitation.
A chemical change can happen quickly, like in the case of combustion. It can also occur slowly, like in the case of rusting of iron or your own body growing from a toddler to an adult.
A physical change alters the size, shape, and state of the original substance. It does not alter its chemical composition.
On the other hand, a chemical change makes a completely new product with absolutely different physical and chemical properties.
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