When a substance undergoes a chemical change, what will its atoms do?
When a substance undergoes a chemical change, its atoms will rearrange and form new chemical bonds. This process involves breaking existing bonds between atoms and then reforming new bonds to create different molecules or compounds. Additionally, the atoms may gain or lose electrons, resulting in the formation of charged particles called ions. Overall, the atoms of a substance will participate in chemical reactions, leading to the transformation of the original substance into a new one.
When a substance undergoes a chemical change, its atoms will rearrange themselves to form new chemical bonds and create different molecules. During the chemical reaction, the existing bonds within the atoms are broken, and new bonds are formed between the atoms, resulting in the formation of different compounds or substances. This rearrangement of atoms allows for the transformation of the original substance into one or more new substances with distinct properties.
When a substance undergoes a chemical change, its atoms will rearrange to form new chemical bonds, resulting in the formation of different substances with new properties. This rearrangement is driven by the breaking and formation of chemical bonds between atoms.
To understand what happens to the atoms during a chemical change, you need to consider the concept of chemical reactions and the principles of the Law of Conservation of Mass.
First, you should determine the balanced chemical equation for the reaction. This equation represents the reactants (starting materials) on the left side and the products (resulting substances) on the right side.
For example, let's consider the combustion of methane (CH4) in the presence of oxygen (O2):
CH4 + 2 O2 → CO2 + 2 H2O
In this reaction, methane and oxygen are the reactants, and carbon dioxide and water are the products.
Next, you need to understand the concept of stoichiometry, which involves determining the relative amounts of reactants and products involved in a chemical reaction.
For instance, in the above example, the balanced equation tells us that one molecule of methane reacts with two molecules of oxygen to produce one molecule of carbon dioxide and two molecules of water.
During the chemical change, the atoms in the reactants break their existing bonds and form new bonds to become the products. In this process, the atoms are rearranged, but no atoms are created or destroyed. This principle is known as the Law of Conservation of Mass.
In the case of the combustion of methane, the four hydrogen atoms from methane combine with two oxygen atoms from oxygen to form the two water molecules. The one carbon atom from methane combines with one oxygen atom from oxygen to form the carbon dioxide molecule.
In summary, during a chemical change, the atoms of the substances involved rearrange their bonds to form new substances. To understand the specifics of this rearrangement, you need to examine the balanced chemical equation and consider the principles of stoichiometry and the Law of Conservation of Mass.