Answer:
These vividly colored maple leaves were all bright green during the summer. Every fall, leaves of maple trees change to brilliant red, orange, and yellow colors. A change of color is a sign that a chemical change has taken place. Maple leaves change color because of chemical reactions.
Chemical Reactions and Balanced Equations
A chemical reaction occurs when some substances change chemically to other substances. Chemical reactions are represented by chemical equations. Consider a simple chemical reaction, the burning of methane. In this reaction, methane (CH4) combines with oxygen (O2) in the air and produces carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H2O). The reaction is represented by the following chemical equation:
