A process in which two or more chemicals combine to generate a single new substance is a combination reaction.
Imagine you ordered a ceiling fan, and all you got was a central motor and no blades. What good is the rotating head without the blades? The motor in itself serves no purpose when used alone. On the other hand, the blades are useless without the motor. Without one another, they are just a piece of hardware. However, if we combine those two, it will serve the purpose we bought it. In other words, we combined two disparate components that were of no particular use to us to create a system that will be useful to us.
The general representation of these is A + B = AB.
Another example is of sulfur and oxygen reaction to form sulfur dioxide:
S(s) + O₂(g) → SO₂(g)
A molecular molecule is formed when nonmetals interact with one another. Nonmetal reactants are often combined in varied ratios to form diverse products. Sulfur reacts with oxygen to form sulfur trioxide.
2S(s) + 3O₂(g) → 2SO₃(g)
Within their ionic complexes, transition metals can take several positive charges. As a result, most transition metals may produce a variety of compounds in a combination reaction. Both iron (II) oxides and iron (III) oxides are formed when iron combines with oxygen.
2Fe(s) + O₂(g) → 2FeO(s) 4Fe(s) + 3O₂(g) → 2Fe₂O₃(s)
1. When sulfur and oxygen react, what happens?
Sulfur dioxide is formed when sulfur combines with oxygen. A molecular compound is formed when non-metals interact with one another. Sulfur may also form sulfur trioxide when it reacts with oxygen.
2. What is the balanced equation for the combination of sulfur and oxygen to form sulfur dioxide?
S + O₂ → SO₂
3. How is sulfur dioxide formed?
Often known as SO₂, Sulfur dioxide is a colorless gas with a pungent, suffocating stench. It is made from the combustion of fossil fuels (coal and oil) and the smelting of sulfur-containing mineral ores (aluminum, copper, zinc, lead, and iron). Sulfur dioxide is easily dissolved in water and converted to sulfuric acid.
We hope you enjoyed studying this lesson and learned something cool about Sulfur and oxygen forming sulfur dioxide! Join our Discord community to get any questions you may have answered and to engage with other students just like you! Don't forget to download our App to experience our fun, VR classrooms - we promise, it makes studying much more fun! 😎