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What characteristics make a chemical compound unstable? Are there different categories of instability?
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What characteristics make a chemical compound unstable? Are there different categories of instability?
A chemical property is a characteristic of a particular substance that can be observed in a chemical reaction. Some major chemical properties include flammability, toxicity, heat of combustion, pH value, rate of radioactive decay, and chemical stability…….
A chemical property is a characteristic of a particular substance that can be observed in a chemical reaction. Some major chemical properties include flammability, toxicity, heat of combustion, pH value, rate of radioactive decay, and chemical stability…….
This is a very involved subject but if we are only considering a chemical change to the compound which occurs under mild conditions (no flames or adding conc sulphuric acid) then there are 3 main things that happen, hydrolysis, oxidation and light-induced breakdown. Hydrolysis requires moisture and you might notice this if you store aspirin in a damp place and it begins to smell of vinegar as the ester breaks down to give acetic acid (and salicylic acid). Oxidation of fats in butter leads to smaller acids being produced giving a rancid taste and smell. Exposure of some vitamins to light causes breakdown and loss of activity.
The characteristics which induce instability depend of the type of degradation happening and is a feature of the chemical class.
There is also the possibility of a physical change without any chemical degradation which is a different problem but one which can also affect the properties and effectiveness of the substance.
I know this barely touches the subject but I'm not sure how much detail you are after.
This is a very involved subject but if we are only considering a chemical change to the compound which occurs under mild conditions (no flames or adding conc sulphuric acid) then there are 3 main things that happen, hydrolysis, oxidation and light-induced breakdown. Hydrolysis requires moisture and you might notice this if you store aspirin in a damp place and it begins to smell of vinegar as the ester breaks down to give acetic acid (and salicylic acid). Oxidation of fats in butter leads to smaller acids being produced giving a rancid taste and smell. Exposure of some vitamins to light causes breakdown and loss of activity.
The characteristics which induce instability depend of the type of degradation happening and is a feature of the chemical class.
There is also the possibility of a physical change without any chemical degradation which is a different problem but one which can also affect the properties and effectiveness of the substance.
I know this barely touches the subject but I'm not sure how much detail you are after.
A chemical property is a characteristic of a particular substance that can be observed in a chemical reaction. Some major chemical properties include flammability, toxicity, heat of combustion, pH value, rate of radioactive decay, and chemical stability…….
A chemical property is a characteristic of a particular substance that can be observed in a chemical reaction. Some major chemical properties include flammability, toxicity, heat of combustion, pH value, rate of radioactive decay, and chemical stability…….
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This is a very involved subject but if we are only considering a chemical change to the compound which occurs under mild conditions (no flames or adding conc sulphuric acid) then there are 3 main things that happen, hydrolysis, oxidation and light-induced breakdown. Hydrolysis requires moisture and you might notice this if you store aspirin in a damp place and it begins to smell of vinegar as the ester breaks down to give acetic acid (and salicylic acid). Oxidation of fats in butter leads to smaller acids being produced giving a rancid taste and smell. Exposure of some vitamins to light causes breakdown and loss of activity.
The characteristics which induce instability depend of the type of degradation happening and is a feature of the chemical class.
There is also the possibility of a physical change without any chemical degradation which is a different problem but one which can also affect the properties and effectiveness of the substance.
I know this barely touches the subject but I'm not sure how much detail you are after.
This is a very involved subject but if we are only considering a chemical change to the compound which occurs under mild conditions (no flames or adding conc sulphuric acid) then there are 3 main things that happen, hydrolysis, oxidation and light-induced breakdown. Hydrolysis requires moisture and you might notice this if you store aspirin in a damp place and it begins to smell of vinegar as the ester breaks down to give acetic acid (and salicylic acid). Oxidation of fats in butter leads to smaller acids being produced giving a rancid taste and smell. Exposure of some vitamins to light causes breakdown and loss of activity.
The characteristics which induce instability depend of the type of degradation happening and is a feature of the chemical class.
There is also the possibility of a physical change without any chemical degradation which is a different problem but one which can also affect the properties and effectiveness of the substance.
I know this barely touches the subject but I'm not sure how much detail you are after.
More
VOTE