Chemical Reactions Knowledge Organiser

Key Words Chemical Reactions and Physical Changes Conservation of Mass

When a chemical reaction takes place, the existing chemical bonds between the atoms are The atoms that we start with in the reactants are the
A substance that speeds up
broken. The atoms are rearranged and new chemical bonds are made. Chemical reactions same atoms present in the products after the reaction
catalyst a chemical reaction without
make new substances and are usually irreversible. There are signs that a chemical reaction has happened.
being used up. has taken place, such as a change in temperature, a colour change or effervescence.
chemical A force that holds the atoms in Physical changes do not make new substances. They are usually easily reversible. Changes
bond a chemical structure together.

→
of state are examples of physical changes.

chemical
A process that involves the
rearrangement of atoms to
Chemical Equations
+
reaction
produce new substances.
A word equation uses only the names of the reactants
No atoms are lost or made and products to represent a chemical reaction. State symbols show The law of conservation of mass states that in a
conservation during a chemical reaction so the state of each of the chemical reaction, mass is never lost or gained.
of mass the mass of the products equals reactants and products in
the mass of the reactants. e.g. carbon + oxygen → carbon dioxide an equation.
Catalysts
A reaction that takes in energy
endothermic Catalysts speed up chemical reactions without being used
from the surroundings. (s) solid
A symbol equation uses the chemical formulae of the up themselves. Biological catalysts that are produced by
A reaction that transfers reactants and products to represent a chemical reaction. (l) liquid living organisms are called enzymes.
exothermic
energy to the surroundings.
(g) gas Catalysts are specific to a certain chemical reaction.
A reversible process in which
physical e.g. C(s) + O2(g) → CO2(g)
no new substances are (aq) aqueous solution Catalytic converters use an expensive metal, such as
change
produced. platinum, to reduce the air pollution caused by vehicles.

A substance that is formed in

product Energy Changes
a chemical reaction.

A substance that takes part in

reactant In an exothermic reaction, energy is transferred to the surroundings, often as heat and light.
a chemical reaction.
Many oxidation reactions are exothermic. The reactions of metals and dilute acids are also exothermic.
A measure of how reactive a
reactivity
substance is. Hand warmers and self-heating cans make use of the energy released during exothermic reactions.

A list of elements arranged in

order of reactivity, with the
reactivity
most reactive elements at
series
the top and the least reactive In an endothermic reaction, energy is transferred from the surroundings. The energy is usually absorbed as heat.
elements at the bottom.
Thermal decomposition is an example of an endothermic reaction.

Sports injury packs make use of the energy taken in during an endothermic reaction.

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 Chemical Reactions Knowledge Organiser
Oxidation Combustion Displacement

In an oxidation reaction, a substance combines with Combustion (burning) is the reaction Examples of fuels include: In a displacement reaction, a more reactive substance
oxygen. At least one of the products formed is an between a fuel and oxygen. displaces (takes the place of) a less reactive substance.
• wood
oxide.
The fire triangle shows the three • petrol The reactivity series can be used to predict if a
Rusting is an example of an oxidation reaction. factors that are needed for a fire to • coal displacement reaction will take place between a metal
burn. and a metal compound.
iron + oxygen + water → (hydrated) iron oxide When a fuel burns in plenty of oxygen,
carbon dioxide and water are always For example, aluminium is higher in the reactivity series
Other metals also react with oxygen in the air. The produced. This is known as complete than copper. This means that aluminium can displace the
reactivity series can be used to predict how readily a combustion. copper in copper chloride.
metal will react with oxygen.

en
fuel + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water

he
yg
For example, potassium is very high up in the reactivity copper aluminium

at
aluminium + → + copper

ox
When there is a limited supply of chloride chloride
series. If a piece of potassium is exposed to the air, it
oxygen, a mixture of products are
will react with oxygen to form potassium oxide.
formed. This is known as incomplete As well as metals, the halogens also take part in
potassium + oxygen → potassium oxide fuel combustion. displacement reactions.

Thermal Decomposition The Reactivity Series Metal and Acid Reactions

In a thermal decomposition reaction, a single reactant breaks down when it is Lots of metals react with dilute acids. The reactivity series can be used to
potassium
heated. The atoms rearrange themselves to form two or more products. most predict if a metal will react with an acid.
reactive
sodium
Metal carbonates are a group of compounds that undergo thermal metal + acid → salt + hydrogen
decomposition.
magnesium The actual name of the salt is dependent on the metal and acid that reacts.
metal carbonate → metal oxide + carbon dioxide
aluminium The first part of the name of the salt comes from the name of the metal taking
For example, copper carbonate part in the reaction.
undergoes thermal decomposition to carbon
The second part of the name of the salt
form copper oxide and carbon dioxide.
zinc comes from the name of the acid taking part
copper carbon in the reaction.
copper carbonate → +
oxide dioxide iron
Hydrochloric acid produces a chloride salt.

The symbol equation for this reaction is: lead Nitric acid produces a nitrate salt.

CuCO3(s) → CuO(s) + CO2(g) Sulfuric acid produces a sulfate salt.

copper
The carbon dioxide produced in the The hydrogen produced in the reaction can
reaction can be detected by bubbling the silver be detected using a lit splint. The hydrogen
least
gas through limewater. The limewater will ignite and make a squeaky pop sound.
reactive
changes from colourless to cloudy. gold

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Chemical Reactions Revision Mat
a b
Key Words Conservation of Mass
Write each key word from the box next to the correct
Fill the gaps to complete the description of the law of conservation of mass.
definition.

The law of conservation of mass states that in a chemical reaction, mass is never or .
chemical bond exothermic reactant
chemical reaction physical change reactivity
c e
Chemical Reactions and Physical Changes Energy Changes
endothermic product
Draw one line from each scenario to show if it is an Draw one line from each item to show if it makes use of an endothermic or
example of a chemical reaction or a physical change. exothermic reaction.
Definition Key Word
hand warmer
A force that holds the atoms
condensation
in a chemical structure endothermic
forming on a window
together.
self-heating can
A substance that takes part in chemical reaction exothermic
a chemical reaction.
frying an egg sports injury pack
A measure of how reactive a
substance is.
f
A reaction that takes in energy Catalysts
from the surroundings. Describe the effect of a catalyst on a chemical reaction.
burning a candle
A process that involves physical change
rearrangement of atoms to
produce new substances. What name is used to describe a biological catalyst?

A substance that is formed in a crushing a drinks can Tick one box.

chemical reaction.
carbonate enzyme oxide
A reaction that transfers
energy to the surroundings. d
Chemical Equations
A reversible process in which Sulfur dioxide gas (SO2) is formed when sulfur (S), a yellow solid, reacts with oxygen (O2) in the air.
no new substances are
produced. Complete the word equation to represent this reaction.

+ →

Complete the symbol equation to represent this reaction.

(s) + (g) → (g)

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 Chemical Reactions Revision Mat
g i
Oxidation The Reactivity Series Use the reactivity series to answer the following questions.
Label the fire triangle to show the three factors that are Which metal will react readily with oxygen in the air, without the need for
needed for a fire to burn. potassium
heating? Tick one box.
most reactive
box aluminium sodium zinc box
sodium
Which metal will displace zinc from zinc chloride? Tick one box.
magnesium box iron box lead box magnesium

Name a metal that will not react with dilute acid. Tick one box.
aluminium
box iron box potassium box silver
carbon
j
Displacement
zinc Complete the sentence to describe what happens in a displacement reaction.

In a displacement reaction, a reactive substance

iron
displaces a reactive substance.
What are the products of complete combustion?
lead Complete the word equation for the displacement reaction between copper
Tick two boxes. sulfate and magnesium.

box carbon dioxide box oxygen copper copper sulfate + → magnesium sulfate +

box carbon monoxide box water Determine whether a displacement reaction will take place between copper
silver
sulfate and silver and explain your answer.
Complete the word equation for the oxidation of sodium.
least reactive
sodium + oxygen → gold

h k
Thermal Decomposition Metal and Acid Reactions
Complete the sentence to describe what happens in a thermal decomposition reaction. Complete the word equation for the reaction between zinc and hydrochloric acid.

A single breaks down when , forming two or more . zinc + hydrochloric acid → +

Complete the word equation for the thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate. Which test confirms the presence of the gas produced in this reaction? Tick one box.

calcium carbonate → calcium oxide + box a glowing splint relights

box a lit splint ignites and produces a squeaky pop sound

Complete the symbol equation for the thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate (CaCO3).
bubble the gas through limewater and the limewater turns cloudy
(s) → CaO (s) + (g)

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Chemical Formulae of Compounds
Carbon dioxide has the formula CO2.

CO2
The chemical formula shows us that carbon dioxide
is made up of 2 elements, carbon (C) and oxygen
(O). Each capital letter indicates a new element.
Some elements have symbols with two or three
letters, the second and third letters will be lower
case. For example, the symbol for sodium is Na. carbon oxygen

Sometimes a symbol in a chemical formula is

followed by a subscript number. The number tells
us how many atoms of that element are present
in the compound. The subscript 2 after the O in
this formula tells us that there are two atoms of
oxygen in a molecule of carbon dioxide. There is
no subscript number after the C, so this tells us
there is only one atom of carbon in a molecule of
carbon dioxide. This means there are 3 atoms in
one molecule of carbon dioxide.
For each compound, write down the number of elements and the number of atoms.

Compound Formula Number of Elements Number of Atoms

carbon dioxide CO2 2 3

carbon monoxide CO

hydrochloric acid HCl

sulfur dioxide SO2

water H2O

ethane C2H6

iron oxide Fe2O3

sodium hydroxide NaOH

magnesium
MgCO3
carbonate
nitric acid HNO3

glucose C6H12O6

caffeine C8H10N4O2

ethanol C2H5OH

ethyl acetate CH3COOC2H5

Writing Simple Word Equations
Walkthrough Worksheet
Equations in chemistry are used to describe a chemical reaction.
Word equations use the element or compound names, while chemical equations use
element symbols.
When writing word equations, there is some terminology that you need to remember.
Let’s look at the following example:

hydrochloric magnesium
magnesium + acid chloride
+ hydrogen

Mg + 2HCl MgCl2 + H2

reactants products

Notice that the top line is written in words, this is the word equation.
The bottom line is written in element symbols, this is the chemical equation.
The arrow indicates the way that the reaction is occurring.
Everything that is at the start of the reaction is on the left-hand side and is known as the
reactants.
Everything that is produced during the reaction is on the right-hand side and is known as
the products.

Did you notice the numbers next to the symbols in the chemical equation?

This is a concept that you will learn about another time. In summary, chemical equations
have an extra step - they need to be balanced. This means that the chemist (you) needs to
write out the correct formula for the compound and make sure that the number of atoms
on the products side matches the number of atoms on the reactants side.

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 Writing Simple Word Equations Walkthrough Worksheet

Did you also notice that there was something odd about the names of the compounds?

hydrochloric magnesium
magnesium + acid chloride
+ hydrogen

Mg + 2HCl MgCl2 + H2

reactants products

Instead of writing magnesium chlorine (as per the element names), chlorine was changed to
chloride!

hydrochloric magnesium
magnesium + acid chloride
+ hydrogen

Mg + 2HCl MgCl2 + H2

reactants products

Instead of writing hydrogen chlorine, or even hydrogen chloride, we wrote hydrochloric acid!
Let’s go through the steps in writing out simple word equations.
1. Determine which element comes first in the compound name.
The element that is furthest to the left on the periodic table goes first.
2. In a binary compound (compound made of two elements), the second element name
changes its ending, -IDE replaces the -INE suffix.
Oxygen is also included here, whenever oxygen appears at the end
of a binary compound, change the ending to -IDE. E.g. oxide.
3. Take note of any special compound names such as water (dihydrogen monoxide), acids
such as hydrochloric acid (hydrogen chloride), sulfuric acid (hydrogen sulfate), ammonia
(nitrogen trihydride), methane (carbon tetrahydride) and hydrogen peroxide (dihydrogen
dioxide) etc.
4. At this stage we won’t go in detail as to why, but when you see or hear any of the
following chemical formulas in compounds made up of three or more elements, use the
following names:
• CO3 - carbonate
• SO4 - sulfate
• PO4 - phosphate
• OH - hydroxide

Note: It can become more complex with other types of compounds known as covalent
compounds. However, this is also a lesson for another time.

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 Writing Simple Word Equations Walkthrough Worksheet

Let’s try some examples.

You will need your periodic table to complete these activities.

Example 1:
When forming a compound using the elements carbon and oxygen, which would appear
first?
When looking at the periodic table, I can see that carbon is furthermost left on the table.
This means that it appears first.

Try these yourself:

1. Which of the following elements would you name first when naming the compound?

a. Chlorine and sodium

b. Lithium and chlorine

c. Phosphorus and oxygen

d. Aluminium and oxygen

e. Bromine and potassium

Example 2:
Give the name of the compound made up of fluorine and calcium.
Calcium appears furthermost left on the periodic table so it appears first. Next, I must
change the suffix of the second element to -IDE.
fluorine → fluoride
So, calcium fluoride

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 Writing Simple Word Equations Walkthrough Worksheet

Try these yourself:

2. Give the name of the compound made up of the following elements.

a. Zinc and chlorine

b. Iodine and potassium

c. Bromine and strontium

d. Magnesium and chlorine

Example 3:
You undertake an activity where you combine zinc metal with sulfuric acid. The products are
zinc sulfate and hydrogen gas. Write out the word equation for this reaction.
zinc metal + sulfuric acid → zinc sulfate + hydrogen gas

Try these yourself:

Read the information in each question below and determine which are the reactants and
which are the products. Once you have done this, complete the word equation using the
structure:
Reactant/s → Product/s
Just like in the example above, add + symbols in between reactants and products if there is
more than one.

1. A reaction between sulfur and oxygen occurs to form sulfur dioxide.

2. When you burn magnesium in the presence of oxygen gas you form magnesium oxide.

3. Table salt (sodium chloride) and water are the products of a reaction between
hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide.

4. When carbon and one oxygen combine the resulting compound is known as carbon
monoxide.

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 Writing Simple Word Equations Walkthrough Worksheet

5. When carbon and two oxygen atoms combine the resulting compound is known as
carbon dioxide.

6. Rust, also known as iron oxide, is the result of a reaction between iron and oxygen.

7. A reaction with a carbonate such as copper carbonate with an acid such as hydrochloric
acid, results in a copper chloride salt, water and carbon dioxide gas.

8. When you pour sulfuric acid onto magnesium carbonate, the products are magnesium
sulfate, carbon dioxide and water.

9. In a decomposition reaction, a compound such as water can be broken down into

hydrogen gas and oxygen gas.

10. Carbonic acid decomposes easily to produce carbon dioxide gas and water.

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Word Equations
Write word equations for each of the following reactions.

1. A reaction between sulfur and oxygen produces sulfur dioxide.

2. Calcium and hydrochloric acid react to produce calcium chloride and hydrogen.

3. When methane burns in oxygen it forms carbon dioxide and water.

4. Calcium carbonate thermally decomposes when it is heated to form calcium oxide and
carbon dioxide.

5. Sodium chloride and water are the products of a reaction between hydrochloric acid and
sodium hydroxide.

6. Photosynthesis is a reaction used to produce glucose from the reactants carbon dioxide
and water. Oxygen is also a product of the reaction.
 Chemical Reactions Practice Exam Questions

0 1 A fuel is a substance that releases energy when burnt.

Combustion is the scientific term for burning.

0 1 . 1 What name is used to describe chemical reactions that transfer energy to the
surroundings?
Tick one box. [1 mark]

endothermic

exothermic

explosive

reactive

0 1 . 2 In a combustion reaction, the fuel is one of the reactants.

Propane is a fuel that is often used in camping stoves.

Complete the word equation to show the complete combustion of propane.

Choose answers from the box. [2 marks]

carbon carbon dioxide carbon monoxide nitrogen oxygen

propane + → water +

0 1 . 3 Changes in substances can be catergorised as physical or chemical.

Draw one line from each scenario to show if it is an example of a physical or
chemical change. [4 marks]

Scenario Type of Change

freezing water
physical change
baking bread

rusting of a nail
chemical change
melting butter

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 Chemical Reactions Practice Exam Questions

0 2 Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound that is used as an antiseptic.

A molecule of hydrogen peroxide consists of two hydrogen atoms and two oxygen
atoms.

0 2 . 1 What is the chemical formula of hydrogen peroxide?

Tick one box. [1 mark]

H2O2

H2O2

H2O

H2O2

0 2 . 2 Hydrogen peroxide decomposes to form water and oxygen.

Name the reactant in this reaction. [1 mark]

0 2 . 3 The speed at which hydrogen peroxide decomposes can be increased by using

various substances, such as manganese dioxide.

Give the term used to describe the role of manganese dioxide in this reaction.

[1 mark]

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 Chemical Reactions Practice Exam Questions

0 3 The reactivity series can be used to predict whether a metal will take part in a
chemical reaction.

0 3 . 1 Which metal will react with dilute hydrochloric acid?

Tick one box. [1 mark]

aluminium

copper

silver

0 3 . 2 Which metal will not react with oxygen?

Tick one box. [1 mark]

gold

iron

magnesium

0 3 . 3 The position of a metal in the reactivity series can be determined by carrying out
displacement reactions.

Metal X is an unknown metal.

Describe a method that would allow a student to determine the position of metal
X in the reactivity series.

You should include an explanation of the results the student would expect to see.

[6 marks]

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