Question

Explain the following type of chemical reaction, giving two examples for it:

Decomposition reaction

Answer 1

A reaction in which a compound breaks up due to heat application into two or more simple substances is called a decomposition reaction.

\[\ce{AB->[heat] A + B}\]
Examples:

1. Mercuric oxide when heated, decomposes to form two elements mercury and oxygen
   \[\ce{2HgO_{(s)}->[heat] 2Hg_{(s)} + O2_{(g)}}\]
2. CaCO₃ when heated decomposes to calcium oxide and carbon dioxide.
   \[\ce{CaCO3 ->[heat] CaO + CO2}\]