AbstractThe present study analyzes the effect of chemical reaction on an unsteady magnetohydrodynamic boundary layer viscous fluid over a stretching surface embedded in a porous medium with a uniform transverse magnetic field. A Darcy‐Forchheimer drag force model is employed to simulate the effect of second‐order porous resistance. Dissipative heat energy based on both viscous and Joule dissipation along with a heat source/sink is considered to enhance the energy equation. Similarity analysis is imposed to transform the governing differential equations into a set of nonlinear coupled ordinary differential equations. These sets of equations are solved numerically using the Runge‐Kutta fourth‐order scheme followed by the shooting algorithm. The effects of physical parameters such as magnetic field, Prandtl number, Eckert number, Schmidt number, unsteadiness parameter, and chemical reaction parameters have been discussed on velocity, temperature, and concentration fields. Computation for the coefficient of skin friction, rate of heat and mass transfer is done and presented in a table for validation of the present outcomes.