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The Properties of Chemical Reactions

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Properties of Chemical Reactions
Ms. Whitty, Science 10
Fiona Adams, November 1st, 2012

Introduction

Chemical reactions are a part of our daily lives, from rusting metal to making bread to leaves changing colour in the fall. A chemical reaction is the process that occurs when two or more substances combine to produce a chemical change. When a chemical reaction takes place, the change is indicated by one or more qualitative properties. The colour or odor could change, gas could be produced, a precipitate – a solid substance in a solution - could be formed, or energy could be absorbed or released. The substances initially involved in a chemical reaction are called reactants. When chemical reactions occur, the end result is called a …show more content…

The acetic acid was clear, colorless and in a liquid state. The sodium bicarbonate, however, was a white powder, in a solid state. The reaction caused the new substance to bubble and foam, producing a gas.
(Table 4) Quantitative Observations from Part 2 - Mass of Sodium Bicarbonate (g) | 1.01 | Mass of Acetic Acid (g) | 14.29 | Mass of Products (g) | 14.88 |
Analysis
Part 1:
The chemical reaction that took place was evidenced by several qualitative observations. The colour of the two original substances was clear, and when combined the colour changed to yellow – a change of colour is clear evidence of a chemical reaction. The word equation for this reaction would be - potassium iodide + lead (II) nitrate Potassium nitrate and lead (II) iodide. In the form of a balanced equation, this reaction would be - 2KI + Pb(NO3)2 2KNO3 + PbI2.
Weighing both the reactants and the product showed that the mass of the reactants, with the apparatus, was 140.26 grams. The mass of the product, with the apparatus, was also 140.26 grams – the product of this reaction had the same mass as the reactants. These results were expected, based on the Law of Conservation of Mass. The Law of Conservation of Mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction. The application of the Law of Conservation of Mass means that the mass of products in a chemical reaction will equal the mass of the

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