Chemical Reaction
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 new 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 substance - the cake (products). Just like you can't get your raw eggs or flour back from the baked cake, in a chemical reaction, you can't retrieve the original reactants once they've formed new products.
Related terms
Reactant: A substance that takes part in and undergoes change during a reaction.
Product: The result or outcome of a chemical reaction.
Catalyst: A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change.
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