
Chemical synthesis | Organic & Inorganic Reactions | Britannica
Chemical compounds are made up of atoms of different elements, joined together by chemical bonds. A chemical synthesis usually involves the breaking of existing bonds and the formation of new ones.
Chemistry | Definition, Topics, Types, History, & Facts | Britannica
Mar 2, 2026 · Cooking, fermentation, glass making, and metallurgy are all chemical processes that date from the beginnings of civilization. Today, vinyl, Teflon, liquid crystals, semiconductors, and …
Chemical reaction | Definition, Equations, Examples, & Types - Britannica
Jan 13, 2026 · Substances are either chemical elements or compounds. A chemical reaction rearranges the constituent atoms of the reactants to create different substances as products.
Chemical element | Definition, Origins, Distribution, & Facts | Britannica
Feb 19, 2026 · A chemical element is any substance that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by ordinary chemical processes. Elements are the fundamental materials of which all …
chemistry - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help
The tendency of an atom to combine is a chemical property of the atom, and it is controlled by electrical forces at the atomic level. Those forces forge the links, called chemical bonds, that hold two or more …
Chemical engineering | Processes, Principles & Applications | Britannica
Feb 20, 2026 · The fundamental principles of chemical engineering underlie the operation of processes extending well beyond the boundaries of the chemical industry, and chemical engineers are …
Chemical energy | Definition & Facts | Britannica
Chemical reactions differ from physical changes, which include changes of state, such as ice melting to water and water evaporating to vapor. If a physical change occurs, the physical properties of a …
Manganese | Uses, Facts, & Compounds | Britannica
Feb 7, 2026 · Manganese, chemical element that is a silvery white, hard, brittle metal of Group 7 in the periodic table. It was recognized as an element in 1774 by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm …
Chemical bonding | Definition, Types, & Examples | Britannica
Jan 29, 2026 · This article begins by describing the historical evolution of the current understanding of chemical bonding and then discusses how modern theories of the formation of chemical bonds have …
Chemical weapon | Convention, Definition, List, World War I, World …
In modern warfare, chemical weapons were first used in World War I (1914–18). Like nuclear and biological weapons, chemical weapons are often classified as weapons of mass destruction.