Chemical Forums

Chemistry Forums for Students => High School Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: mentallychallenged on April 27, 2006, 03:28:15 PM

Title: How do you use a chemical formula to create the actual substance
Post by: mentallychallenged on April 27, 2006, 03:28:15 PM
How do you use a chemical formula to create the actual substance..if you could explain in detail or give me links i'd greatly appreciate it.
Title: Re: im just starting chemistry and was wondering
Post by: Borek on April 27, 2006, 03:54:59 PM
Please give some example of what you are trying to do.
Title: Re: im just starting chemistry and was wondering
Post by: constant thinker on April 27, 2006, 08:01:36 PM
Maybe this will help...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_Formula

I also found this...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_chemical_formulas

Do what Borek said. Find example and comment on what YOU think and we'll correct if your wrong.  :)
Title: Re: How do you use a chemical formula to create the actual substance
Post by: mentallychallenged on April 28, 2006, 11:52:15 AM
well say i wanted to create water or H2O how would i go about getting the hydrogen and oxygen atoms to make it..im basically wondering how do i get oxygen from something or hydrogen
Title: Re: How do you use a chemical formula to create the actual substance
Post by: constant thinker on April 28, 2006, 04:46:36 PM
The simplest formula for getting water is:
2H2 + O2 --> 2H2O

Your reactants (the ingredients) are on the left side and the product is on the right side. You should ask your teacher about your question. He/she could probably teacher you better face to face.
Title: Re: How do you use a chemical formula to create the actual substance
Post by: Mitch on April 28, 2006, 06:45:58 PM
Oxygen can be found in the atmosphere readily, the Hydrogen would have to be purchased somewhere, like a hardware store or something.
Title: Re: How do you use a chemical formula to create the actual substance
Post by: mentallychallenged on April 30, 2006, 10:04:48 AM
ok i have another question how would i remove it from another substance to get an amount of it and how would i contain it like say i wanted to make CH3CH2-O-CH2-CH3 how would i get all of that?

im sorry im being hard to teach but im just wondering how i could make things using chemical formulas and where they are commonly found and how to seperate them ect.
Title: Re: How do you use a chemical formula to create the actual substance
Post by: Borek on April 30, 2006, 10:28:46 AM
What you are looking for is - for all practical needs - impossible. Chemistry is about using available substances to create other substances, but you will almost never start from scratch (ie from elements) - with the exception of very simple substances. So in the real life you will never attempt to make CH3-CH2-O-CH2-CH3 from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen - you will rather start from ethanol, which can be easily bought in any amount.

Purification of reaction products is almost a science in itself. Depending on substance and impurities you may try filtration, crystallization, destillation, extraction or chromatography to name most popular methods.
Title: Re: How do you use a chemical formula to create the actual substance
Post by: constant thinker on May 01, 2006, 05:24:16 PM
CH3-CH2-O-CH2-CH3 is an ether. Ethoxyethane (diethyl ether). You may want to learn about all of the different types of reactions, oxidation states, types of compounds, valence electrons, etc.

For ethers check out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ether
Esters
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ester
Esterification (the process of producing esters)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esterification
General chemical formula things
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_Formula
Stoichiometry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoichiometry

This is only scratching the surface.

Try browsing other websites too and expanding on what I gave you. I've found wikipedia to have errors sometimes.