31+ Chemical Energy Examples: Uses And Detailed Facts

A chemical is formed by the mixture of two or more substances and includes all the elements, compounds, and various materials comprising these elements.

The chemical energy is stored in these chemical substances through the formation of the bonds. A huge amount of energy is essential to break these bonds and once the bond breaks, the energy thus released is called chemical energy. Let us discuss some of the chemical energy examples listed here below:-

Dry Cells

The dry cells consist of a single graphite rod at the center which acts as a cathode of the battery and the cylindrical zinc case is the anode of the battery. Between the anode and the cathode, it is filled with the paste of manganese dioxide and ammonium chloride. The redox reaction takes place when the electric current is passed through the dry cell and the mobility of the ions conducts electricity.

Oil

The oil is extracted from the oil pool, the area where the traces of oil is identified and located. There are various mechanical methods involved to remove the oil from the great depths beneath the crust and are very expensive methods. The oil is mostly extracted through a borehole by inserting a pipe through it and using a pressure valve. The oil is often present as an emulsion of water in oil and is separated from water by using demulsifiers.

Rechargeable Batteries

The rechargeable batteries are made up of different metals and elements such as Li-Cd, Lithium-ions, Ni-Cd, etc.

These batteries are made up of small electrodes each of different oxidation states.

Electrolysis

It is a process through which the chemical reaction occurs on the application of electrical energy. The two rods are inserted into the chemical solution. On passing the current, one rod behaves as an anode and another as a cathode due to which the negatively charged ion will migrate towards the anode, and positively charged ions will get attracted to the cathode.

Biogas

Biogas is produced from the organic waste of plants and animals.

It is a renewable fuel used for various purposes, like generating electricity, vehicles fuel, and heat generation. The gases formed by breaking the bonds between the organic matter are carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrogen sulphide.

Bio-methane

The bio-methane is produced due to the decomposition of the organic matter. As the remnant organic matters are exposed to the sunlight, the heat energy is supplied to the matter to break the chemical bonds and degrade into small particles. The decaying of the organic matter releases the biomethane gas into the atmosphere.

LPG Cylinders

The liquid petroleum gas cylinders are filled with natural gas which is derived from the Earth’s crust.

This gas is stored in the form of a liquid phase under great pressure. When the pressure is released by turning the knob open, the liquid is changed back to the gaseous phase and runs through the pipe to reach the burner.

Electricity from the Chemical Reactions

If you take two different solutions in two different containers and connect them by inserting the tips of two wires in the solutions then you will notice that there is a chemical reaction taking place. The ions will migrate from one beaker to another through the wire. This mobility of the charges will generate electrical energy.

Petroleum

It is extracted from the Earth’s crust by drilling underground. First, the presence of the crude oil is located using gravimeters and magnetometers.

After locating the target area, it is drilled and a borehole is made to a depth to reach the target area where there is an accumulation of petroleum. The drill pipe is then removed and inserted with a cylindrical steel pipe through which the crude oil can pass. This is used as a fuel for stoves, burners, vehicles, and engines.

Coal

Coal is made up of 100% carbon which is used as a fuel. It is produced by the organic remains after millions of years of remaining buried under the soil.

Burning of Wood

The burning wood is also a perfect example of the chemical energy which is converted into heat energy and radiant energy.

The wood is composed of chemical components basically carbon matter. The chemical energy of wood is used as a fuel in the kitchen, industries, and factories, as a supplementary heat source.

Food

The food that we eat is stored as chemical energy which provides the potential energy for human beings. Food provides us with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. On chewing the food we degrade the food into smaller particles which further breaks the molecular bonds and gets digested and stored in different forms of chemical energy. This provides us with the energy while doing work.

Photosynthesis

It is a process, in which plants utilized the carbon dioxide present in the air in presence of the sunlight and water to produce food, and give out oxygen as a product.

In this entire process, the radiant energy which is sunlight is converted into the chemical energy in photosynthesis and this chemical energy is turned into the food which is a source of the chemical potential energy of the animals.

Chemical Reactions

The two or more reactants that react to give one or more products are called a chemical reaction and they are of different types. The exothermic reaction is the one where a lot of heat energy is released upon the chemical reaction while the endothermic is the one in which the amount of heat energy from the surrounding is also acquired to form new bonds thus making the solution cooler.

Galvanic Cell

The galvanic cell is used to convert chemical energy into electrical energy. The two different solutions are taken in the two separate containers and both are connected to each other by inserting the salt bridge through which the ions can transfer. In both the containers, two rods are inserted out of which one behaves as anode and the other as cathode. The motion of the ions from one container to the other produces the electrical flow thus generating electricity.

Hydro Thermal Plant

The temperature and pressure increase down the depth of the Earth. At this temperature below the depth, the water molecules turn into the vapor form and this thermal energy of the evaporated vapor is turned into a different form of energy.

These vapors are made to travel through a pipe and released on the turbine, which then rotates due to pressure difference and produces electrical energy.

Hydrogen Fuel

The hydrogen fuel is used to ignite the rocket, vehicles, airplanes, fuel cells, etc. as even a small amount of energy can produce a huge amount of energy which is three times more powerful than gasoline and fossil fuel. The advantage of using hydrogen fuel is that it is readily available and emits no harmful emissions and hence is environmentally friendly.

Helium Gas Filled in Balloons

Helium being a light inert gas, it is used to fill the balloon. The gas filled in the balloon is lighter in weight than the oxygen and nitrogen; they are lifted high above the atmosphere as the lighter density matter will float above the air.

Clocks

The clocks are run on the batteries which are composed of a chemical element or the mixtures.

Thus the chemical energy of the battery is converted into mechanical energy.

Gunpowder

It is used to reduce to loss of energy caused due to friction while bullets are fired towards the target thus exerting more force on the bullet to traverse through the air and overcome the air resistance. Thus the kinetic energy of the bullet is increased with the use of gunpowder.

Boric Acid Powder

There is a lot of friction caused on the surface of the carom men upon rubbing its surface on the carom board during its motion on hitting the striker and the carom men do not move easily in the target.

Hence a fine-grained boric acid powder is used on the board to reduce the friction caused and enable the pieces to slide over the board easily.

Citrus Fruits

The citrus fruits contain citric acid and are rich in vitamin C and calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium. Examples of citrus fruits are lemon, mandarins, grapes, oranges, lime, amla, etc. This is stored as chemical energy and helps boost our potential energy.

Steamboats

The steamboat runs on the evaporated steam. The boiler is supplied with heat energy which is used to convert the water from the boiler into a vapor state. These vapors are made to fall on the propeller that rotates and supplies energy to the steamboat.

Diesel

Diesel is chemical energy used to fuel vehicles.

The engine works on 4 strokes and the spontaneous motion of the piston up and down compressing the air, it heats up and the fuel burns due to combustion and supplies power to the vehicles.

Uranium Fission

The uranium atom is highly radioactive in nature because of the instability of its nucleus, hence it is always found in its isotopes form. A lot of energy is released upon the fission of the uranium atom and hence is used in the nuclear power plant to generate electricity.

Trains

Trains run on the coal which is burned in the combustion process. The heat energy is supplied to the coal. The energy thus released is used to run the engine of the train. The coal is made up of carbon which reacts with the oxygen in the surrounding air to form carbon dioxide as the bonds between the carbon atoms breaks.

Drones

The drone is widely used today to take pictures from the above horizon and in fields to water the plants and spray pesticides, even sanitize the area and supply the food and groceries.

To power up the drones, a rechargeable battery is used. This helps to convert the chemical energy into the mechanical energy of the propellers thus providing enough trust to uplift the body of the drone.

Construction

The construction of houses, building, huge apartments, and bridges, do need cement, sand, and water, to solidify the structure. Hence chemical energy is essential to provide strong rigid structures.

Sea Shells

The shells of the seashells in the seawater are made up of calcium carbonate. Once the animal escape leaves the shell, these shells are dried and broken down and crushed to form a fine powder giving a calcium carbonate which is used for varieties of purposes.

Erosion

The erosion of the soil and rocks is due to the hydraulic pressure of the water molecules. The erosion of the soil is seen majorly during the rainy season and the rock near the water bodies constantly undergo erosion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is rubber an example of chemical energy?

The rubber is produced from the sap of a rubber tree.

The sap is collected by tapping the latex sap of the tree, which is then filtered and stored in the vessels where it gets condensed. An acid is added to the container. This is then cut into small sheets.

What are the uses of chemical energy?

Chemical energy is used almost everywhere and is converted into various other forms of energy.

The chemical energy is used to generate electricity, and produce heat energy and radiant energy source. It is also used to gain the potential energy by the animals.

Is medicine a form of chemical energy?

The medicine is entirely a chemical compound.

The better medicine is stated based on the better chemical reaction that it carries out shows a better impact on the infection. The chemical reaction implies the breaking of bonds and formation of new bonds thus the chemical energy comes into the picture.

Is flowing water an example of chemical energy?

The flowing water is a mechanical form of the energy provided by the chemical energy of the water.

The water molecules exert the hydraulic pressure on molecules surrounding it and on the object present in the volume of the water.

Also Read:

• Why is energy critical in the internet of things iot
• Example of mechanical to radiant energy
• How to calculate the radiant energy received from the sun in a specific location
• How to calculate energy in planetary atmospheres
• How to find energy levels in a graphene sheet
• How to estimate the gravitational energy of water in elevated tanks for emergency use
• How to estimate energy potential in geothermal sources
• How to calculate elastic energy in arch bridges for stability analysis
• Where to find light energy
• Can elastic potential energy be negative