CBSE
Guidance
Chemical Reactions and
Equations Class 10 Notes: A
Comprehensive Guide
Chemical reactions and equations are an important
topic in class 10 science. Understanding the basics of
chemical reactions and equations can help you
understand the world around you. These simplified
Chemical Reactions and Equations class 10 notes will
help you grasp the concepts of chemical reactions and
equations easily. For your convenience, you can also
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Subject Science (Chemistry)
Class 10
Board CBSE
Chapter No. 1
Chapter Chemical Reactions and
Name Equations
Type Notes
Session 2024-25
Chemical Reactions and
Equations Class 10 Notes
Table of Contents
Chemical Equations
Types of Chemical Reactions
Combination Reaction
Decomposition Reaction
Displacement Reaction
Double Displacement Reaction
Oxidation and Reduction
Effects of Oxidation and Reduction in everyday
life
Whenever a chemical change occurs, we can say that
a chemical reaction has taken place.
Activity 1.1:
Magnesium ribbon is cleaned by rubbing it with
sandpaper before burning.
Magnesium reacts with atmospheric oxygen to
develop a layer of magnesium oxide. This layer
does not allow the underlying magnesium to
undergo combustion.
Magnesium ribbon burns with a dazzling white
flame and changes into a white powder. This
powder is magnesium oxide.
It is formed due to the reaction between
magnesium and oxygen present in the air.
2Mg + O2 → 2MgO
Activity 1.2:
Lead nitrate reacts with Potassium Iodide to
form Lead Iodide (yellow precipitate) and
Potassium nitrate.
Pb(NO3)2 + 2KI → PbI2 (yellow ppt)+ 2KNO3
Activity 1.3:
Formation of hydrogen gas by the action of
dilute sulphuric acid on zinc.
Zn + 2HCl → ZnCl2 + H2
Chemical Equations
Balanced Chemical Equation:
Definition: A balanced chemical equation is an
equation in which the number of atoms of various
elements is equal on both sides of the equation.
Reason for balancing: An equation should be balanced
due to the law of conservation of mass which states
that mass can neither be created nor destroyed in a
chemical reaction. That is, the total mass of the
elements present in the products of a chemical
reaction has to be equal to the total mass of the
elements present in the reactants.
Writing Symbols of Physical States:
States Symbol
gaseous g
liquid l
aqueous aq
solid s
Sometimes the reaction conditions, such as
temperature, pressure, catalyst, etc., for the reaction
are indicated above and/or below the arrow in the
equation. For example:
Types of Chemical Reactions
1. Combination Reaction
2. Decomposition Reaction
3. Displacement Reaction
4. Double Displacement Reaction
5. Oxidation and Reduction
Some other types:
Exothermic reaction
Endothermic reaction
Precipitation reaction
Redox reaction
Combination Reaction
Definition: A reaction in which a single product is
formed from two or more reactants is known as a
combination reaction.
Examples:
i. Calcium oxide reacts vigorously with water to
produce slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) releasing a
large amount of heat.
A solution of slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) is used
for whitewashing walls. It reacts slowly with the carbon
dioxide in the air to form a thin layer of calcium
carbonate on the walls.
ii. Burning of coal: C + O2 → CO2
iii. Formation of water from H2(g) and O2(g): 2H2 (g) +
O2 (g) → 2H2O (l)
Exothermic Reaction:
Definition: Reactions in which heat is released along
with the formation of products are called exothermic
chemical reactions.
Examples:
i. Burning of natural gas: CH4 (g) + 2O2 (g) → CO2 (g)
+ 2H2O (g)
ii. Respiration: Carbohydrates are broken down to form
glucose. This glucose combines with oxygen in the
cells of our body and provides energy. The special
name of this reaction is respiration.
iii. The decomposition of vegetable matter into
compost.
Decomposition Reaction
Definition: The reaction in which a single reactant
breaks down to give simpler products is called a
decomposition reaction.
Examples:
i. Ferrous sulphate crystals (FeSO4.7H2O) lose water
when heated and the color of the crystals changes. It
then decomposes to ferric oxide (Fe2O3), sulphur
dioxide (SO2), and sulphur trioxide (SO3). Ferric oxide
is a solid, while SO2 and SO3 are gases.
ii. Decomposition of calcium carbonate to calcium
oxide (quick lime) and carbon dioxide on heating is an
important decomposition reaction.
When a decomposition reaction is carried out by
heating, it is called thermal decomposition.
iii. Heating of lead nitrate. You will observe the
emission of brown fumes. These fumes are of nitrogen
dioxide (NO2).
iv. Electrolysis of water is a decomposition reaction.
The mole ratio of hydrogen and oxygen gases
liberated during the electrolysis of water is 2:1.
Cathode: Hydrogen; anode: Oxygen.
Hydrogen is collected in double the amount of oxygen
because water is formed by the chemical combination
of hydrogen and oxygen in the ratio 2:1 by volume, so
it decomposes in the same ratio.
2H2O(l) → 2H2(g) + O2(g).
v. White silver chloride turns grey in sunlight.
2AgCl (s) → 2Ag (s) + Cl2 (g)
The application of this reaction is in black-and-white
photography.
Endothermic reaction:
Reactions in which energy (either in the form of heat,
light, or electricity is absorbed are known as
endothermic reactions.
Displacement Reaction
Definition: The reaction in which a more reactive
element displaces a less reactive element from its salt
solution is called displacement reaction.
Examples:
i. Iron displaces copper, from copper sulphate solution.
Iron nail become brownish in color and the blue colour
of the copper sulphate solution fades.
Fe + CuSO4 → FeSO4 + Cu
ii. Zn (s) + CuSO4 (aq) → ZnSO4 (aq) + Cu (s)
iii. Pb(s) + CuCl2(aq) → PbCl2(aq) + Cu(s)
Double Displacement
Reaction
Definition: Reactions in which there is an exchange of
ions between the reactants are called double
displacement reactions.
Examples:
i. Na2SO4 + BaCl2 → BaSO4 (ppt) + 2NaCl
You will observe that a white substance (BaSO4),
which is insoluble in water, is formed. This insoluble
substance formed is known as a precipitate. Any
reaction that produces a precipitate can be called a
precipitation reaction.
ii. When potassium iodide solution is added to a
solution of lead nitrate in a test tube, a yellow color
precipitate is formed. The compound precipitated is
Lead Iodide.
Pb(NO3)2 + 2KI → PbI2 + 2KNO3
Oxidation and Reduction
Definition: If a substance gains oxygen or loses
hydrogen during a reaction, it is said to be oxidized. If
a substance loses oxygen or gains hydrogen during a
reaction, it is said to be reduced.
Examples:
i. Oxidation of copper to copper oxide: When we heat
copper powder, the surface of copper powder
becomes coated with black copper(II) oxide. This is
because oxygen is added to copper and copper oxide
is formed.
2Cu + O2 → 2CuO
ii. Reduction of copper oxide to copper: If hydrogen
gas is passed over this heated material (CuO), the
black coating on the surface turns brown as the
reverse reaction takes place and copper is obtained.
CuO + H2 → Cu + H2O
Redox Reactions
Definition: The reactions in which one reactant gets
oxidized while the other gets reduced are called
oxidation-reduction reactions or redox reactions.
Note: The substance which gets oxidized is the
reducing agent and the substance which get reduced
is the oxidising agent.
Examples:
i.
ii. ZnO + C → + Zn + CO
Carbon is oxidized to CO and ZnO is reduced to Zn.
[Here, Carbon is the reducing agent and ZnO is the
Oxidizing agent.]
iii. MnO2 + 4HCl → MnCl2 + 2H2O + Cl2
HCl is getting oxidized to Cl2 while MnO2 is getting
reduced to MnCl2. [Here, HCl is the reducing agent
and MnO2 is the oxidizing agent.]
Effects of Oxidation and
Reduction in everyday life
i. Corrosion:
When a metal is attacked by substances around it
such as moisture, acids, etc., it is said to corrode and
this process is called corrosion.
Examples:
Rusting of iron
The black coating on silver
The green coating on copper
Disadvantages of Corrosion:
Corrosion causes damage to car bodies,
bridges, iron railings, ships, and to all objects
made of metals, especially those of iron.
Every year an enormous amount of money is
spent to replace damaged iron.
ii. Rancidity
When fats and oils are oxidized, they become rancid,
and their smell and taste change. Usually, substances
that prevent oxidation (antioxidants) are added to
foods containing fats and oil. Keeping food in air-tight
containers helps to slow down oxidation.
Chips manufacturers usually flush bags of chips with a
gas such as nitrogen to prevent the chips from getting
oxidized.
Must Read: Chemical Reactions and Equations
Class 10 Important Questions & Answers to get an
idea of the different types of questions asked from
this chapter.
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