- All chemical reactions fundamentally occur between elements. An element is the purest form of matter; for example, a mass of carbon is composed only of carbon atoms, with no other materials combined.
An atom is the smallest unit of matter; it cannot be divided further without fundamentally changing the nature of the matter. Atoms consist of a nucleus of protons with positive electrical charge and neutrons with no charge. An electron cloud exists outside the nucleus, with negatively charged particles. These electrons form the basis of all chemical reactions by moving from one atom to another or by acting as a part of two or more atoms. - Chemical bonding with electrons results from an atom's natural tendency to have a full outer shell of electrons. According to ChemTutor, electrons are grouped into electron shells, each with a set number of electrons. Starting from the innermost shell, the maximum count goes 2, 8, 18, 32, 32 18, 8, then 2. You can determine the number of electrons an uncharged atom has by looking at its atomic number, which determines how many protons it has. Protons and electrons will always be equal in unbonded atoms. Atoms with an incomplete outer shell will react with other atoms to give, take or share electrons. Ionic bonds--such as the bond between sodium and chloride--occur when atoms gain or lose electrons, and covalent bonds such as hydrogen and oxygen atoms form when atoms share electrons. An outer shell with a single electron will attempt to lose that electron, whereas an almost full outer shell will attempt to gain electrons.
- Matter normally exists in one of three phases: solid, liquid and gaseous. Solid matter is rigid, forming into crystalline structures. Solid matter has the lowest energy state and temperature of the three. Liquid matter loses its rigidity, taking the shape of any container while keeping its set volume. Gas fills the entire volume of a container and has the highest energy of the three phases.
Matter will undergo chemical reactions more easily in the liquid and gaseous phases because of the motion of its molecules. Combining a solid with a liquid or combining two liquids together will produce a type of substance called a solution. - A solution is a homogenous, or uniformly composed, mixture of two or more compounds, usually liquid. Solutions consist of two components: a solvent and a solute. Solvents dissolve solutes. Water, because of its abundance on Earth, its electrical polarity due to the atomic configuration, and its ability to bond with hydrogen, has become known as a universal solvent.
The temperature of a solvent directly affects the speed at which it dissolves and the amount of solvent it can contain; higher temperatures increase the speed and amount of dissolution because of the increased energy and motion of the molecules of both substances. - Acids and bases form when a solute immersed in water breaks apart the bond between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Acids form when you immerse a solute that draws hydroxide--oxygen and hydrogen molecules--leaving positively charged hydrogen atoms free.
Bases cause negatively charged hydroxide ions to form. Combining an acid and a base will result in water and a salt.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -