As described in the title, a question for expert in the chemistry field. Is there any chemical reaction that happens when two solid object get into contact?
For example, assuming we have a pure Aluminum plate in vacuum or inert gas, now touch this plate with a sphere made by an unknown material (I guess some sort of oxidant), take the sphere back, then find a thin layer of Al2O3 has been formed on the contact area of the Al plate.
Is this kind of reaction possible? Not necessarily with Al, can be any material.
Yes. This sort of reaction can occur but is relatively limited.
If two metals are in contact for a long time, atoms of one metal will diffuse into the other.
A spectacular example (do NOT try this unless you have the technical training) is Na and K: the Na-K alloy is liquid, so the point of contact between the two metals slowly liquefies. (Na-K is very dangerous - I knew someone who almost burned their hand off using it.)
There are a lot of specifics to the exact reaction - mobility of the atoms/molecules at a given temperature, mechanism and kinetics, etc - so it is hard to predict whether a reaction between two solids will happen (or not) and how fast it will happen.
Dear Sheng Zhou ,
As said by James E Hanson , it is relatively rear.
This has to do with two things:
First substances can be categorized according to a classical division in main groups: metals, salts and molecular substances. Though surprisingly divers the first two groups (almost exclusively solids) are simply not as large as the molecular substances group.
Second most reactions are supposed to take place according to the collisional (particle) theory. Which basically says that particles need to move and collide.
As stated by Omar J. Yepez , these type of reactions do occur in the field of solid state chemistry and nowadays more and more in the emerging (broader) field of material sciences. However most of these type reactions need heat (getting things in motion or better said diffuse) or are some sort of redox reaction (where charges can move despite the solid state).
Nowadays the field of solid state chemistry is extremely divers and often is a combination of solid state and solution chemistry see for example:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Corinne_Chaneac2/publication/8688209_Iron_Oxide_Chemistry_From_Molecular_Clusters_to_Extended_Solid_Networks/links/580e213d08aedd0c6ebf2de4/Iron-Oxide-Chemistry-From-Molecular-Clusters-to-Extended-Solid-Networks.pdf
References for further reading see for example:
https://www.lehigh.edu/operando/Publications/1989%20Solid-state%2051V-NMR,%20alumina%20and%20titania.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4871152/
Hope this is some answer to your question.
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