How does a decomposition reaction work?
Antoine Lavoisier is widely known as the “father of modern chemistry.” He was one of the first to study chemical reactions in detail. Lavoisier reacted mercury with oxygen to form mercuric oxide as part of his studies on the composition of the atmosphere. He was then able to show that the decomposition of mercuric oxide produced mercury and oxygen. The diagram above shows the apparatus used by Lavoisier to study the formation and decomposition of mercuric oxide.
Decomposition Reactions
A decomposition reaction is a reaction in which a compound breaks down into two or more simpler substances. The general form of a decomposition reaction is:
Most decomposition reactions require an input of energy in the form of heat, light, or electricity.
Binary compounds are compounds composed of just two elements. The simplest kind of decomposition reaction is when a binary compound decomposes into its elements. Mercury(II) oxide, a red solid, decomposes when heated to produce mercury and oxygen gas.
A reaction is also considered to be a decomposition reaction even when one or more of the products are still compounds. A metal carbonate decomposes into a metal oxide and carbon dioxide gas. For example, calcium carbonate decomposes into calcium oxide and carbon dioxide.
Metal hydroxides decompose on heating to yield metal oxides and water. Sodium hydroxide decomposes to produce sodium oxide and water.
Some unstable acids decompose to produce nonmetal oxides and water. Carbonic acid decomposes easily at room temperature into carbon dioxide and water.
