What is a Solid State Reaction?
A solid state reaction, also called a dry media reaction or a solventless reaction, is a chemical reaction in which solvents are not used. In a normal reaction, the reacting agents, also called the reactants, are placed in a solvent before the reaction can take place. These reactants react to form a new substance. After the reaction is completed, scientists are able to remove the new product from the solvent. A solid-state reaction, however, allows the reactants to chemically react without the presence of a solvent. The advantages of solid state reactions ripple throughout many industries. It is important to economics because the elimination of solvents means that products will cost less. This, in turn, will make those products cheaper to buy. With normal reactions, scientists need to remove the residual solvent from the resulting product after a reaction has finished. Producing materials from a solid state reaction will mean that scientists are able to bypass the purification process.
