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THE ANATOMY OF REACTIONS

                              NaOH + HCl = NaCl+ H2O

    Here acid and base reacts to yield salt and water.  It is ordinary 'High school"  reaction.  Let us understand the dynamics behind it.

     Why should sodium chloride salt form? 
    ( Note:  All the objects want to occupy lowest energy level.  That is why all the object fall and reach the ground, if opportunity is available.)



    Sodium has a total of 11 electrons.  2 electrons in the first orbit, 8 electrons in the second orbit and one in the last shell.  The sodium is always ready to loose the last one negative electron for the energy advantage and become a positive ion.
    Chlorine has 17 electrons.  In the last shell it has 7 electrons.  It will happily accommodate one more electron in the last layer to complete it's shell.  By acquiring one negative electron, chlorine will become a negative ion.



     Hence Na will give one electron and the Cl will accept it.  Now the positive sodium and negative chlorine get attracted and bond themselves (ionic bond).  Billions of ions will form bonds and a chunk of sodium chloride salt appears.



     Now coming to the formation of water.  Hydrogen has only one electron.  Oxygen has 8 electrons.  First shell 2; second shell 8.  It wants 2 more electrons to complete and fulfill it's last shell.
    Hydrogen also wants one more electron to satisfy its first and the last shell.  Hence H and O reach a deal.  H donates one electron to O.  And oxygen also donates one electron to hydrogen.  The two donated electrons are kept common and shared by each of the atom (co-valent bond).  Now the H gets 2 electrons and O gets 7 electrons.  But oxygen requires one more electron.  So again it forms a sharing bond with another hydrogen atom.

    Now 2 hydrogen atoms combined with an oxygen atom and a water molecule H2O is born.  A number of molecules are formed in this way creating the liquid water.
    To break the bonds energy should be supplied.  When the molecular bonds are formed, energy is released.  In a reaction net heat energy may be released or absorbed.
    This is the story behind the simple chemical reaction.  You and me are made of molecular bonds like these.  But the molecules are more complex.    

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