Notebook Science 노트북 사이언스 · MYP Physical & Earth Sciences 1–3
Unit 07 · Chemistry

Chemical Reactions

화학 반응

How can you tell a chemical reaction is really happening, and not just a physical change?

Big idea In a chemical reaction, substances (reactants) turn into new substances (products) with different properties, but the total mass never changes.

01What happens in a chemical reaction

In a chemical reaction, bonds between atoms in the reactants break, and new bonds form to make the products. The atoms are rearranged, not lost or created.

02Signs of a chemical reaction

Not every change is a chemical reaction. Clues that a chemical reaction has happened include:

  • A colour change
  • A gas produced (bubbles)
  • A temperature change (gets hot or cold)
  • A precipitate forms (a solid appears in a liquid)
  • Light or a flame is produced

03Conservation of mass

The Law of Conservation of Mass says that in a chemical reaction, no atoms are created or destroyed — so the total mass of reactants equals the total mass of products.

Example. If 4 g of hydrogen reacts completely with 32 g of oxygen, exactly 36 g of water is produced.

04Word equations

A word equation shows the reactants turning into products using an arrow (meaning 'produces' or 'reacts to form').

reactants → products
Example. magnesium + oxygen → magnesium oxide

05Exothermic and endothermic reactions

An exothermic reaction releases energy to the surroundings, so the temperature increases (e.g. combustion).

An endothermic reaction absorbs energy from the surroundings, so the temperature decreases (e.g. some cooking-soda reactions).

Key vocabulary
Term한국어Meaning
reactant반응물A starting substance in a chemical reaction
product생성물A new substance formed by a chemical reaction
precipitate침전물A solid that forms out of a liquid during a reaction
conservation of mass질량 보존Mass of reactants = mass of products
exothermic발열 반응A reaction that releases energy (gets hotter)
endothermic흡열 반응A reaction that absorbs energy (gets colder)
Quick check — tap a question to reveal the answer
Name three signs that a chemical reaction may be happening.
Any three of: colour change, gas bubbles, temperature change, precipitate forming, light/flame.
10 g of substance A reacts completely with 15 g of substance B. What mass of product forms?
25 g, by the Law of Conservation of Mass.
Is a reaction that makes the surroundings feel colder exothermic or endothermic?
Endothermic — it absorbs energy from the surroundings.