Science

What is reaction? »Its definition and meaning

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Anonim

The nickname of reaction is assigned to any movement or result that is produced from an action, that is, it is the response that occurs after a stimulus that is produced by the action performed, for this reason the word can be used in different scopes; in the psychological field, for example, it would be the way a subject acts in the face of a specific stimulus: while in the chemical field, it would also be the process by which 2 or more substances are modified in order to create new elements.

What is a reaction

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It is an action taken in response by any living being, when it is in front of a stimulus it receives. At an artistic level this word can also be applied, “He believed that his work would produce some reaction in the public”, “When I saw that movie my immediate response was to cry”, another example of this would be when a funny interpretation is made, the comedians They seek that the response of their audience is the laughter or laughter generated by their interpretation.

There are no better examples for the word "reaction", in the sense of everyday life, in which everyone is waiting to visualize the different responses that other individuals have to an action that is carried out, to an event already different situations that arise, for example: a wife who makes lunch for herself and her husband, hopes that if he is not busy or tired, he will help her with the food, he does not help her and the wife gets upset; all these events occur in series, which originate from the action carried out by both protagonists of the event.

What is a chemical reaction

A chemical reaction is a transformation in which one or more different substances originate from one or more substances. The initial substances are called reactants, while those that are obtained are called their product.

They are an integral part of technology, culture and, indeed, life itself. Burning fuels, smelting iron, making glass and ceramics, preparing beer and cheese, are some of the examples of activities that incorporate these transformations, which have been known and used for thousands of years. In addition, they abound in Earth's geology, in the atmosphere and oceans, and in a wide range of complicated processes that occur in all living systems.

These must be distinguished from physical changes. Physical changes include changes of state, such as ice that melts into water and water that evaporates as steam.

If a physical change occurs, the physical properties of a substance will change, but its chemical identity will remain the same. Your physical condition does not matter. An example of this is water (H2O), since it has each molecule composed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. However, if water, converted into ice, liquid or vapor, encounters (Na) sodium metal, the atoms are redistributed to give the new substances molecular hydrogen (H 2) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH). By this, a chemical change or response is said to have occurred.

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Types of chemical reactions

Organic

Organic reactions are a type of chemical response, in which at least one chemical compound is involved, acting as a reagent. The most important are:

1. Substitution reaction: It occurs when a particle or group of particles belonging to a molecule are replaced by an atom or group of them from another molecule.

2. Addition reaction: It occurs when a huge particle absorbs a smaller one. Decreasing the level of multiplicity of the link.

3. Elimination reaction: It arises when, from a larger atom, another smaller one is achieved. In this case, the multiplicity level of the link increases.

Inorganic

Their objective is the integrated study of the formation, structure, composition and chemical reactions of inorganic elements and compounds, such as sulfuric acid and calcium carbonate, that is, those that do not have carbon-hydrogen bonds, because they belong to the field of organic chemistry.

There are several types of chemical reactions, which can occur depending on what happens when going from reactants to products. The most common types are:

1. Decomposition reaction: It is in which other substances that can be compounds or elements originate from a compound. An example of this case is when the electrolysis of water occurs and the separation of water into oxygen and hydrogen occurs.

2. Synthesis reaction: This occurs when from several pure substances another originates. An example of this is the combination of oxygen and metal for the formation of oxides, because it gives rise to stable molecules and it can be used, in some cases, to manufacture materials that are used in the daily life of the individual..

3. Displacement or substitution reaction: In this type the element of one compound passes to another because of their interaction. For this reason, the pierced element produces an attraction for the other component, it must have a greater strength than the initial compound.

4. Double substitution reaction: It refers to a type that occurs when two reactants interact anions or cations and produce two new products. Double replacement reactions are also called double displacement or metathesis reactions.

Neutralization reaction, precipitation, and gas formation are types of double replacement reactions.

5. Ionic reactions: This occurs when ionic compounds are exposed to a solvent.

6. Combustion reactions: It is based on the exothermic reaction of a substance or mixture of substances called fuel with oxygen. The characteristic of this is the formation of a flame, which is the incandescent gaseous mass that emits light and heat, which is in contact with the combustible substance.

7. Endothermic reaction: It is one that produces a net decrease in temperature because it absorbs heat from the environment and stores energy in the bonds formed. A good example of it includes dissolving salt. It doesn't have to be table salt, nor does the solvent have to be water.

8. Exothermic reactions: They are those whose response releases energy, either in the form of flame or heat. Some examples of this type of reaction are:

  • The oxidation of metals.
  • The combustion of organic compounds.
  • The oxidation of metals.

In some occasions, to obtain information on this subject, the wrong terms are used, such as "examples of thermal reactions."

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Elements of a chemical reaction

Generally, in most processes, it is important to accelerate these, such as in the manufacture of products, in the healing of wounds or diseases, in the ripening of fruits, in the growth of plants, etc. But there are cases in which its function is interesting to delay these transformations, as is the case, corrosion of iron and other metallic materials, in the decomposition of food, in the delay of hair loss and old age, etc.

The elements that influence the speed of the reaction are:

Nature of reaction

The nature of the reagents is another factor that influences the speed; For example, when one of the reactants is solid, the reaction speed tends to increase when breaking it into several pieces, this is explained because the contact surface between the solid and the other reactants increases and, therefore, also the number of collisions.

On the other hand, when the reactants are in solution they are in the molecular or ionic state, and there is a greater probability that they will establish direct contact, while in the gaseous state, the molecules are further apart and therefore the possibility of contact is less. and decreases even more if the gas is free

Concentration

Concentration is a measure of the quantity or number of particles in a given volume, it can be increased in two ways, either by increasing the number of particles in a given volume, or by decreasing the volume in which a certain number are found. of particles.

Pressure

Due to the fact that gases can be compressed, but solids and liquids cannot, pressure can only affect the rate of the reaction when the reactants are in the gaseous state.

Order

The order of the reaction controls how the concentration (or pressure) of the reactant affects the rate of the reaction.

Temperature

If the temperature increases, the kinetic energy in the middle of the particles will increase, so that many of them will have enough energy to react, resulting in a greater number of shocks per second and therefore an increase in the speed of this.