Organic Chemical Changes

Organic chemical changes refer to chemical changes in substances that are mostly made up of carbon and hydrogen. They frequently combine with additional elements that are frequently present in or generated from living things, such as oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, etc.

Examples of Organic Chemical Changes

The examples of organic chemical changes are mentioned below

• Food digestion in the stomach
• Grape fermentation to create wine
• Glucose oxidation during cellular respiration
• Organic matter breakdown during composting
• Monomers are polymerized to create polymers.

Reactions of Organic Chemical Changes

The reactions for organic chemical changes are mentioned below:

Food Digestion in Stomach

Our food mainly consists of three macronutrients namely carbohydrates, fats and protein. These macronutrients react with HCl present in our stomach and break down into simpler molecules. Food proteins with hydrochloric acid (HCl) produce peptides and amino acids, as an example of a reaction. The reaction for them is shown below:

Starch + Salivary Amylase (inactive in stomach) → Maltose

Triglycerides + Gastric Lipase → Fatty Acids + Monoglycerides

Proteins + HCl + Pepsin → Peptides + Amino Acids

Grapes’ Fermentation to Create Wine

The reaction for fermentation of grape is given below:

Glucose ⟶ Ethanol + Carbon dioxide

Glucose Oxidation during Cellular Respiration

During respiration, glucose get oxidized to give energy. The reaction for the same is given below:

C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ ⟶ 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + Energy (ATP)

Organic Matter Breakdown during Composting

Organic matters such as vegetable and animal waste breaks down due to actions of microorganisms.

Organic matter + Water ⟶ Methane + Humus

Monomers Undergo Polymerization

Monomers such as ethene undergoes polymerization to yield polymer called polyethene. The reaction for the same is given below:

[CH₂=CH₂]_n → [-CH₂-CH₂-]_n

Chemical Change is a change in which one substance changes into a new form whose properties are unique and different compared to the previous form. Chemical change is irreversible. Examples of chemical change include combustion, the oxidation of glucose, and all chemical reactions.

In this article, we will learn about various examples of chemical changes along with the basic definition of chemical change. We will also learn possible chemical reactions for the examples of chemical changes.