Examples for

Chemical Reactions

Chemical reactions, the transformation from one molecular structure to another, are ubiquitous in the world around us. Everything from internal combustion engines and complex manufacturing plants to geological processes and life itself depend on chemical reactions. Use Wolfram|Alpha to balance chemical equations, determine reaction stoichiometry, explore iconic reactions and predict products.

Equation Balancing

Use Wolfram|Alpha to find the right coefficients to balance a chemical reaction.

Balance a chemical equation:

Al + O2 -> Al2O3
hydrochloric acid + calcium hydroxide -> calcium chloride + water
octane + O2 -> water + CO2

Ionic Reactions

Explore salts and the properties of single- and double-displacement reactions involving them.

Compute total ionic equations:

What is the total ionic equation for CuCl2(aq) + Na3PO4(aq) -> NaCl(aq) + Cu3(PO4)2(s)?
total ionic equation BaCl2(aq) + Na2SO4(aq) -> BaSO4(s) + NaCl(aq)

Determine net ionic equations:

Show me the net ionic reaction for Ba(OH)2(aq) + 2HNO2(aq) -> Ba(NO2)2(aq) + H2O(l)
net ionic reaction Hg2(NO3)2(aq) + KI(aq) -> Hg2I2(s) + KNO3(aq)

Find the spectator ions:

What are the spectator ions for NaCl(aq) +AgNO3(aq) -> AgCl(s) + NaNO3(aq)?
spectator ions Zn(s) + CuSO4(aq) -> ZnSO4(aq) + Cu(s)

Reaction Stoichiometry

When you specify the amount for one or more reactants or products, Wolfram|Alpha can compute reaction properties, such as theoretical yield, percent yield and limiting reactant.

Find the required amount of reactants:

benzene + nitronium -> 0.02 mols nitrobenzene + hydrogen ion
copper(II) carbonate -> 1.500 kg copper(II) oxide + CO2

Determine the theoretical yield:

22g NaOH + 16g MgCl2 -> Mg(OH)2 + NaCl
Cl2 + 10.0 g Na -> NaCl

Compute the percent yield:

0.2 mol CH4 + O2 -> 7 mL H2O + CO2
0.4031 g Na2C2O4 +1.481 g UO2(NO3)2 + H2O -> 1.073 g UO2(C2O4)(H2O)3 + NaNO3
percent yield m_a=5.12 g, m_t=7.94 g

Equilibrium

Build expressions necessary for modeling chemical equilibria.

Learn to build an equilibrium constant:

equilibrium constant CoO(s) + CO(g) -> Co(s) + CO2(g)
PbCl2(s) -> lead(2)(aq) + Cl-(aq) equilibrium constant

Assemble a reaction quotient:

reaction quotient nitrogen(g) + oxygen(g) -> NO(g)
NaOH(aq) + HCl(aq) -> water (l) + NaCl (aq) reaction quotient

GO FURTHER

Step-by-Step Solutions for Chemistry

RELATED EXAMPLES

  • Chemical Quantities
  • Functional Groups
  • Molecules

    • Reaction Lookup

    Search Wolfram|Alpha's reaction database.

    Find chemical reactions using reactants or products:

    hydrogen + oxygen ->
    -> nitrate
    KOH -> H2O

    Look up sample reactions by type:

    hydrogenation reactions

    Search through classes of chemical reactions using reactants:

    combustion of glucose
    oxidation of copper