Chemical reactions in Everyday life

Chemical reactions in Everyday life-By Charlotte

Decomposition

What is decomposition?

A decomposition reaction is one of the most common chemical reactions out of all of the reactions.

During decomposition, one compound splits apart into two or more pieces. It is shown as:

AB ----> A + B

During this process, substance AB decomposes (breaks apart) to produce substance A and B.

Reaction #1

A simple everyday life example would be the decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen:

2 H2O → 2 H2 + O2

Now this doesnt just happen spontaneously, it needs some driving force to make it happen.In this case, the driving force is energy in the form of electricity. This is called "splitting water

Bibliography

"Splitting water"

Reaction #2

Besides having reactions that look cool, some reactions can save lives. for instance, the explosive decomposition of Sodium azide, (Na(N3)2) into Nitrogen gas (N2) and sodium (Na) after a fairly small impact.

We use this reaction to blow up airbags after an accident.

Decomposition of sodium Azide

Decomposition

http://www.shmoop.com/chemical-reactions/decomposition.html

http://www.edurite.com/kbase/10-examples-of-decomposition-reactions

Combustion

http://www.shmoop.com/chemical-reactions/combustion.html

http://chem.answers.com/reactions/combustion-reactions-what-you-need-to-know

https://chemistrysmostwanted.wikispaces.com/Combustion

They're Everywhere!

Conclusion

Chemical reactions are constantly happening around us, even if we don't know that they are happening! There are many examples in our everyday lives, such as the combustion of a car exhaust as we are driving.There are so many more, but here are the reactions of decomposition and Combustion.

So as we can see, chemical reactions are everywhere, and they help us survive from day to day, whether that be in the industry or just in general.

Combustion

Reaction #1

Reaction #2

Although here in Australia, guns aren't a big part of everyone's lives, the combustion of gunpowder is quite amazing. Gunpowder is a mix of three different components: potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur. Potassium nitrate decomposes at a high temperature to provide the oxygen for this reaction. the charcoal and sulfur are the fuels in this reaction.

the combustion can be written simply like this:

2 KNO3 + S + 3 C → K2S + N2 + 3 CO2.

U.S. industries rely on combustion systems for heat and steam generation. This is mainly through the use of fossil fuels such as the burning of coal. This helps enable vital industrial processes such as heating metals.

C + O2 --->CO2

CH4 + 2O2 ----->CO2 + 2H2O

(Buring of Coal)

What is combustion?

Combustion reactions are extremely vital to our existence.Right from keeping warm to getting us from destination A to B, combustion has always been a vital part of our everyday lives.

Combustion takes place when a fuel and oxygen react, producing heat or heat and light.Combustion usually occurs when a hydrocarbon ( a compound made up of only carbon and hydrogen) reacts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water. This is an exothermic reaction, which means it gives off energy.

It looks like this....

CH4 + 2 O2 → CO2 + 2 H2O

hydrocarbon + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water