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Chemical decomposition, or chemical breakdown, is the process or effect of simplifying a single chemical entity (normal molecule, reaction intermediate, etc.) into two or more fragments. [1] Chemical decomposition is usually regarded and defined as the exact opposite of chemical synthesis. In short, the chemical reaction in which two or more ...
Aerobic decomposition takes place in the presence of oxygen. This is most common to occur in nature. Living organisms that use oxygen to survive feed on the body. Anaerobic decomposition takes place in the absence of oxygen. This could be a place where the body is buried in organic material and oxygen cannot reach it.
The chemical reaction is as follows: CaCO 3 → CaO + CO 2 The reaction is used to make quick lime, which is an industrially important product. Another example of thermal decomposition is 2Pb(NO 3) 2 → 2PbO + O 2 + 4NO 2. Some oxides, especially of weakly electropositive metals decompose when heated to high enough temperature.
Decomposition in animals is a process that begins immediately after death and involves the destruction of soft tissue, leaving behind skeletonized remains. The chemical process of decomposition is complex and involves the breakdown of soft tissue, as the body passes through the sequential stages of decomposition . [ 2 ]
An illustrative example is the effect of catalysts to speed the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen: . 2 H 2 O 2 → 2 H 2 O + O 2. This reaction proceeds because the reaction products are more stable than the starting compound, but this decomposition is so slow that hydrogen peroxide solutions are commercially available.
This reaction is exploited in the industrial production of sodium chlorate. An alternative decomposition of hypochlorite produces oxygen instead: 2 OCl − → 2 Cl − + O 2. In hot sodium hypochlorite solutions, this reaction competes with chlorate formation, yielding sodium chloride and oxygen gas: [25] 2 NaOCl(aq) → 2 NaCl(aq) + O 2 (g)
Oxygen evolution is the chemical process of generating elemental diatomic oxygen (O 2) by a chemical reaction, usually from water, the most abundant oxide compound in the universe. Oxygen evolution on Earth is effected by biotic oxygenic photosynthesis, photodissociation, hydroelectrolysis, and thermal decomposition of various oxides and oxyacids.
Nuclear chemistry is a sub-discipline of chemistry that involves the chemical reactions of unstable and radioactive elements where both electronic and nuclear changes can occur. The substance (or substances) initially involved in a chemical reaction are called reactants or reagents .