Question: How do chemical reactions work?

Andrew Singer answered on 16 Jun 2018:

You can spend the rest of your life answering that question. I will try to give you an answer that can fit in a tweet, as it’s an extremely broad question, with a different answer for any two chemicals. Having said that, there are many reactions that are similar to other reactions. Reactions are the joining and breaking of bonds between atoms found, either alone, or in combination with other atoms (as molecules). For example, a chemical reaction can be the activity of an enzyme (amylase) in your mouth that breaks down starch to glucose (sugar), and it can be the reaction of two atoms NaCl (table salt) in water. When NaCl is reacted with water, the water ‘breaks’ the ionic bond between sodium and chloride, allowing the salt to dissolve in the water–creating saltwater.