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Chemical Reaction : Chemical Reactions

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Background Information: A chemical reaction is the change of a substance into a new one that has a different chemical identity (Chemical Reaction , 2015). It rearranges the atoms of the reactants to create different chemical elements or compounds. Chemical reactions occur because an atom is trying to get a full outer shell of electrons. A chemical reaction is usually accompanied by easily observable physical effects such as the emission of heat and light, precipitate, gas and colour change (Factors that affect reaction rates, 2015). When a chemical reaction is complete there will be stability, no further charge and no energy being released or absorbed. The rate of a chemical reaction is the speed at which the reaction occurs. Some reactions are essentially instantaneous while other may take decades. The factors that influence that the rates of chemical reactions include the temperature, the solvent, surface area and the presence of a catalyst (Factors that affect reaction rates, 2015) . Temperature increases the average kinetic energy making it move faster and collide more frequently, increasing the reaction rate (Reaction Rates, 2015). Solvent viscosity is the density and thickness of the solution. The more viscous the fluid, the more dense it will be and so it will take longer to diffuse causing the reaction time to be slower (Factors that affect reaction rates, 2015). The surface area is increased by grinding or cutting the substance into smaller pieces. If the surface

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