KnowraThermal decompositionThermal decompositionThermal decomposition is a chemical reaction in which heat breaks a compound into two or more simpler substances.BriefConnectActivation energy: The minimum energy reactants need to undergo a chemical reaction. Heat helps particles overcome this energy barrier during decomposition.Calcium carbonate: A common ionic compound found in limestone, chalk, and marble. Strong heating breaks it into calcium oxide and carbon dioxide.Calcination: A heat treatment that drives off volatile substances or causes a solid-state chemical change. It uses thermal decomposition to convert minerals such as limestone into oxides.Electrolysis: Chemical change driven by an electric current through an electrolyte or molten ionic substance. It can split compounds without using heat as the primary driving input.Chemical bond: An attractive interaction that holds atoms together in a molecule or solid. Decomposition rearranges or breaks bonds in the heated compound.Copper(II) carbonate: A green copper compound with formula CuCO₃, often encountered in basic carbonate minerals. Heating it produces black copper(II) oxide and carbon dioxide.Lime kiln: An industrial furnace that heats limestone to produce quicklime. Its central reaction is the thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate.Photolysis: Chemical decomposition initiated by absorption of light. Light, rather than heating, supplies the energy that starts the breakdown.Reaction mechanism: A stepwise account of how reactants become products through elementary chemical events. Some decompositions proceed through multiple steps rather than one bond-breaking event.Potassium chlorate: An oxidizing salt with formula KClO₃. When heated, it releases oxygen and forms potassium chloride.Show all 23Linked from 73 pagesChemical decompositionBroader topic: It is the heat-driven form of decomposition, common in laboratory and industrial reactions.Maillard reactionRelated: Heating drives sugar fragmentation and later transformations within the reaction network.Smoke pointNarrower topic: Smoke appears as heat breaks down fat molecules into volatile products.Gas chromatographyCompared with: Thermally labile compounds may decompose in the heated inlet or column before separation.Ammonium nitrateRelated: Heating ammonium nitrate can initiate decomposition and release gases.Chemical oxygen generatorNarrower topic: Many solid chemical generators produce oxygen by heating an oxygen-rich compound.CarbonateRelated: Heating many metal carbonates releases carbon dioxide and leaves an oxide.Ammonium carbonateNarrower topic: Heating drives ammonium carbonate to break down into gaseous products.Show all 73