Chemical Reactions

Definition

A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. It involves breaking and forming bonds between atoms.

Analogy

Think of a chemical reaction like baking a cake. You start with individual ingredients (reactants) such as flour, eggs, sugar, etc., and after mixing them together and baking (the reaction), you end up with a completely different product - the cake (products).

Related terms

Reactants: These are the starting materials in a chemical reaction. Like the raw ingredients for your cake.

Products: These are the substances that are formed as a result of a chemical reaction. This would be your finished cake.

Catalyst: This is something that speeds up a chemical reaction without being consumed by it. In our analogy, this could be likened to the oven heat which helps bake the cake faster but isn't used up in the process.