Virtual Chemistry Reactor — Free 3-Mode Reaction Simulator (All 118 Elements)
Mix 118 elements and 50 compounds in an animated simulator. 150+ real balanced reactions, stoichiometry with limiting reagents, ΔH and half-equations.
Virtual Chemistry Reactor
Mix any of the 118 elements and a shelf of real compounds. You get the textbook reaction, an honest prediction — or a straight “we don’t know”.
Mix tray · 0/3
Pick elements or compounds to add them to the mix.
Textbook results come from a curated, balanced reaction database. Predictions use simplified electronegativity rules. Reaction speed and equilibrium aren’t simulated.
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Browse all Science Tools →Not every pair of elements reacts
Drop two metals together and most combinators assume they form a compound. But copper plus zinc in water doesn't make a compound — it makes a mixture, a true alloy. The Virtual Chemistry Reactor admits this: any two bare metals together return an explicit "alloy, not a chemical reaction". Noble gases are more dramatic: combine neon, argon, or xenon with anything and the tool says straight "no reaction — the outer shell is full". This honesty is load-bearing: beginners learn that not every formula equation is a real reaction.
The database-first rule
When you mix 151 balanced reactions from a curated database (verified by atom-count checks), every hit is labelled TEXTBOOK. Try sodium plus chlorine gas — it's there, it wins, you get the equation with ΔH = −822 kJ/mol and a story about yellow-orange flame. But pair sodium with bromine? Still there. Sodium with iodine? Also there, but marked "needs heat". The matching is order-independent (sodium + iodine gives the same result as iodine + sodium), and the first entry in the database wins on duplicates.
When the database doesn't know, the tool predicts honestly
No match found? The tool asks: is this a noble gas (→ no reaction), two metals (→ alloy), or a metal–nonmetal pair with a big electronegativity gap (≥ 1.7 points on the Pauling scale)? If it clears all three gates and the gap is real, it builds a predicted ionic compound and marks it PREDICTED, not TEXTBOOK. The electronegativity reasoning sits next to the equation so you see why it guessed. Everything else returns an honest "unknown — our database doesn't know this combination".
Stoichiometry knows what you'll actually have left
In Advanced and Scientist modes, enter grams or moles for each reactant and the tool computes the limiting reagent — the one that runs out first and caps your yield. If you mix 10 g of Mg with 10 g of HCl, the calculation finds which reactant has fewer moles per coefficient, and uses that to compute product yields and leftovers. Scientist mode adds ΔH (enthalpy), conditions (heat/aqueous/catalyst), and half-equations for redox reactions. The disclaimer is built in: "Yields are theoretical — 100% conversion. A real lab always collects less."
Balancing a reaction depends on properties of the elements involved — valency, group, state at room temperature. The periodic table is the reference for looking those up.
How to use the Virtual Chemistry Reactor
Takes about a minute. No signup, no download, your data stays in your browser.
- 1Open the tool. Scroll up to the Virtual Chemistry Reactor above — it loads instantly in your browser, no install needed.
- 2Enter your values. The fields come pre-filled with realistic defaults so you can see how it works — replace them with your own numbers.
- 3Read the result. The output updates instantly. Copy or share it — nothing is uploaded to a server, everything stays on your device.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about the Virtual Chemistry Reactor.
Why does it say 'unknown' when I mix two things?
The tool checks 151 curated, balanced reactions first. If no match, it runs a rule-based predictor that only handles noble gases, metal alloys, and ionic compounds formed when a metal's electronegativity gap from a nonmetal exceeds 1.7 points. Anything outside those gates (like covalent nonmetal pairs or borderline cases) returns 'unknown' rather than an invented equation — we'd rather be honest than wrong.
Why are copper and zinc showing as an 'alloy' and not a compound?
Because they're both metals. When two metals combine, they form an alloy — a solid mixture — not a chemical compound with a fixed formula. The tool distinguishes this explicitly. Real chemistry: alloys don't have stoichiometry the way compounds do. The simulator respects that boundary.
How many reactants can I mix at once?
Beginner mode allows 3 reactants; Advanced allows 4; Scientist allows 6. This is deliberate: beginners work with simpler reactions. If you switch modes mid-mix, reactants beyond the new mode's limit are removed. The database holds no reactions with more than three reactant formulas, so higher modes unlock predicted reactions and full stoichiometry detail, not larger mixes.
The stoichiometry shows 20 g of product — will I really get that?
No. That's the theoretical yield: 100% conversion, zero loss. A real lab gets less due to incomplete reactions, side reactions, and product sticking to glassware. The tool says this in fine print so you remember: it's a textbook number for understanding ratios, not a lab prediction. Kinetics and equilibrium aren't simulated — the reactor assumes every reaction that goes goes to completion.
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