For example how a H2O molecule can be transformed to HO and how a H2O can be transformed to H2O2
Is this controlled in real life or are just text books examples?
In: 2
Making a specific chemical reaction depend on what we call “reaction conditions”. These conditions are different depending on what specific reaction we are trying to make happen. For example, I work in a lab where we synthesize a bunch of different kinds of steroid compounds. Steroids are based on cholesterol molecules, which we modify as we want to make whatever specific compound we desire. We employ a wide range of techniques in order to carefully select which part of the molecule we want to change, and then we verify that we did this properly using a very sensitive instrument called an NMR.
Your specific examples are kind of weird. Because on aggregate, they don’t happen. Hydroxide (HO) is an ion that occurs in water at varying concentrations depending on it’s level on the pH scale, but you don’t decompose water in a reaction into hydroxide. Similarly, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) also isn’t made from water. It’s made from the reactions of H2 and O2 in specific ways to make sure that you don’t accidentally make water.
In general though, yeah, chemical reactions can be set up in a lab, and the specifics depend on what reaction you’re doing, and the equipment you have.
Latest Answers