∞ generated and posted on 2022.01.30 ∞
A phenomenon that can not only happen but also unhappen, particularly without a requirement for substantial inputs of energy in either direction.
| A Reversible Reaction is a chemical reaction that can be driven in either direction, forward and reverse reactions, based solely on the input of ambient energy. |
Chemical reactions that are reversible can be described in terms of both forward and reverse reactions, e.g., A → B as well as B → A.
Many chemical reactions that go on inside of cells are reversible and, mostly, those chemical reactions that are not reversible require a substantial input of energy to drive forward. Such often though not always is obtained from the hydrolysis, "burning", of ATP.
All chemical reactions involve some input of energy to happen (or else, in a sense, they already will have happened). With reversible reactions, however, that input of energy, or activation energy, is supplied by the thermal motion, of molecules, that is energy which is already present in a system. In other words, if a chemical reactions is to be reversible, then movement of the chemical reactions both forward and in reverse reactions is driven simply by the heat of the environment in which the chemical reactions take place.
The following video shows calcium carbonate decomposition and reformation, including showing what happens when you perturb and equilibrium.