Skip to main content

How is photosynthesis similar to the formation of rust?

Both photosynthesis and rusting (formation of rust) are chemical reactions and represent chemical changes. 


A chemical change involves a change in chemical composition of the reactants. That is, the products are different from the reacting species. 


During the chemical reaction of photosynthesis, plants convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. The following chemical reaction takes place during photosynthesis:


`6CO_2 + 6H_2O + sunlight -> C_6H_12O_6 + 6O_2`


One can see that, in this process, the reactants are different from the products.


Similarly, during the process of rusting, solid iron is converted to Fe(III) oxide, Fe2O3. This is the process which causes the loss of iron and the formation of the red powdery material known as rust. 


In comparison to a chemical change, a physical change does not involve any change in the chemical composition of the reacting species. 


Hope this helps. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is 'efficate' a word in English?

I routinely hear the word "efficate" being used. For example, "The most powerful way to efficate a change in the system is to participate." I do not find entries for this word in common English dictionaries, but I do not have an unabridged dictionary. I have checked the OED (I'm not sure if it is considered unabridged), and it has no entry for "efficate". It does have an entry for "efficiate", which is used in the same way. Wordnik has an entry for "efficate" with over 1800 hits, thus providing some evidence for the frequency of use. I personally like the word and find the meaning very clear and obvious when others use it. If it's not currently an "officially documented" word, perhaps its continued use will result in it being better documented.
Post a Comment
Read more