Endothermic Reaction Lab Report

Introduction – Lab Report

What is a Chemical Reaction? A chemical reaction is a change in matter that produces one or more new substances. A chemical change or reaction occurs when bonds are broken and new ones are formed. The formation and dissolution of these bonds are dependent upon environment changes. Even without the usage of microscopes, chemical reactions are usually apparent to the naked eye. The two main kinds of changes that one can observe are the formation of new substances and changes in energy. Observation of properties of materials involved in the reaction is a way to detect a chemical change. Signs like a color change, the formation of a solid within two liquids and the production of gas from solids or liquids are all …show more content…
As the temperature increases a change in energy is happening. Such reactions can either absorb or release energy. A change that absorbs energy is called an endothermic reaction. An endothermic reaction takes energy in the form of temperature from it surroundings. This reaction cannot occur spontaneously, it can only proceed if work (in chemistry, work is defined as a movement against a force) is done. Endothermic reactions are common. One of the most common examples of this type of process is photosynthesis. In this process, energy, acquired in the form of light, is transformed into glucose, from carbon dioxide and water. Energy can also be released from a chemical change. When energy is released from a change, an exothermic reaction has happened. During this change, the temperature of the surrounding environment rises. The energy is given off in the forms of heat, light, sound and temperature. An example of an exothermic reaction is combustion. Combustion is the process of rapid combination of a substance with oxygen, involving the production of energy and …show more content…
The reactants are the substances you have at the beginning while products are the new substances you have after the reaction is complete. During the chemical reaction, the reactants are separated forming the products. The number of reactants and products in an equation can vary; from one to three or more. Nevertheless, what doesn’t change is the amount of matter. The Law of Conservation of Mass (by Antoine Lavoisier) states that in a chemical reaction, the total mass of the reactants equals the total mass of the products. Some reactions may seem to be a violation of the law cited above, but only at first glance. After measuring matter, which can very hard if matter is in the form of gas, it is clear that even if matter has changed its form and composition the mass is still the same. Finally, after testing, classifying and measuring, scientists balance the chemical equations. As said before, an accurate chemical equation must show the same number of each type of atom on both sides (reactants and