What is chemical synthesis?
Q: What is chemical synthesis?
A: Chemical synthesis is the process of using chemical reactions to produce a product, or multiple products.
Q: What are reagents or reactants?
A: Reagents or reactants are the starting chemicals used in a chemical synthesis.
Q: What do chemists do to the reagents?
A: Chemists manipulate and mix the reagents in order to synthesize the desired product, or an intermediate product.
Q: What type of vessel is used for these reactions?
A: The vessel used for these reactions can be either a chemical reactor or a simple flask.
Q: How is amount of product measured in a chemical synthesis?
A: The amount of product produced in a chemical synthesis is typically measured as either weight in grams, or as a percentage of total theoretical quantity that could be produced.
Q: What is a side reaction?
A: A side reaction is an unwanted chemical reaction taking place that reduces the yield of the wanted product.
Q: Who first used the word "synthesis" in its present-day meaning?
A: The chemist Adolph Wilhelm Hermann Kolbe was the first person to use "synthesis" with its present-day meaning.
