Solid-fuel rockets are a central feature in the world’s space exploration programs, including the new Space Launch System being developed in the United States by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to replace the retired Space Shuttle fleet (<a href="#attachment_96425">see image below</a>).
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_96425" style="width: 800px"><a href="https://data.ulearngo.com/assets/6c73e42b-9769-42e7-8123-7768921cb0fa"><img alt="rocket-chemical-reactions" class="wp-image-96425 size-full" height="395" src="https://data.ulearngo.com/assets/6c73e42b-9769-42e7-8123-7768921cb0fa" width="800"/></a>Many modern rocket fuels are solid mixtures of substances combined in carefully measured amounts and ignited to yield a thrust-generating chemical reaction. Image credit: modification of work by NASA</div>
The engines of these rockets rely on carefully prepared solid mixtures of <a data-lesson="hazard-signs" data-subject="chemistry" data-tutorial="chemistry-essential-ideas" href="https://app.ulearngo.com/chemistry/chemistry-essential-ideas/hazard-signs">chemicals</a> combined in precisely measured amounts. Igniting the mixture initiates a vigorous chemical reaction that rapidly generates large amounts of gaseous products. These <a data-lesson="introducing-gases" data-subject="chemistry" data-tutorial="gases" href="https://app.ulearngo.com/chemistry/gases/introducing-gases">gases</a> are <a data-lesson="photoelectric-effect" data-subject="chemistry" data-tutorial="electronic-structure-of-atoms" href="https://app.ulearngo.com/chemistry/electronic-structure-of-atoms/photoelectric-effect">ejected</a> from the rocket engine through its nozzle, providing the thrust needed to propel heavy payloads into space.
Both the nature of this chemical reaction and the relationships between the amounts of the substances being consumed and produced by the reaction are critically important considerations that determine the success of the technology.
In this tutorial, we are going to delve into the heart of chemistry. We will describe how to symbolize chemical reactions using chemical equations, how to classify some common chemical reactions by identifying patterns of reactivity, and how to determine the quantitative relations between the amounts of substances involved in chemical reactions—that is, the reaction stoichiometry.
We will learn ways of <a data-lesson="representing-molecules" data-subject="chemistry" data-tutorial="chemistry-essential-ideas" href="https://app.ulearngo.com/chemistry/chemistry-essential-ideas/representing-molecules">representing molecules</a> and how molecules react. To do this, we will even think about "how many" of a molecule we have using a quantity called a "mole". In <a href="https://app.ulearngo.com/tutorial/chemistry-101">Chemistry 101: Introduction to Matter</a>, we have already discussed <a href="https://app.ulearngo.com/lesson/the-mole">the mole</a> at length. If you need to review some of the concepts treated in that tutorial so that you can easily follow this one, feel free to do so.

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Introduction to Chemical Reactions

Chemistry generally explores the substances of which matter is composed, the investigation of their properties and reactions, and the use of such reactions to form new substances. 

Chemistry

Discover the fundamentals of chemical reactions, from balancing equations to reaction stoichiometry, and explore topics like acid-base and redox reactions in this tutorial, also uncover titration, gravimetric, and combustion analysis in quantitative chemical analysis.


Introduction to Chemical Reactions

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