Chemical Interactions Cliff Notes
Chemistry is the scientific inquiry into the properties, composition and interactions of matter (stuff).
Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space.
Investigation 1 Substances
Goal: In investigation 1, students identify the two substances in a mystery mixture by observing the
characteristics of the reactions that occur when pairs of known substances are mixed.
Substance: a type of matter defined by a unique (one of a kind) particle. (e.g. water, salt, baking soda)
A substance is a form of matter. There are millions of different substances on Earth. Each substance
is different from every other substance.
This label is for one of the substance in the 9 substances investigated. The first one is a chemical
name, second is the common name, and third is the chemical formula.
Chemical Reaction: change that occurs when
2 or more substances combine and create new
substances.
Common signs of a chemical reaction include a color change, a temperature change, a new gas
(bubbling) produced, a new solids produced, light is produced, or a change in smell.
Resources: Fossweb multimedia Two substance reactions (username: msb3rd password: Bacon123)
Investigation 2 – Elements
Goal: In Investigation 2, students learn that elements are the basic substance from which all matter is
made.
This is the Periodic Table of Elements. The periodic
table is a display of fundamental substances called
elements. There are over 100 elements, 90ish
naturally occurring ones. They are ultimately the
basic substances from which all matter/other
substances/stuff are made of.
Element: a fundamental substance that cannot be
broken into simpler substances by chemical or
physical process.
Each element has a name and is represented by a
one or two letter symbol. Hydrogen has the symbol H. Calcium has the symbol Ca. Element
symbols are used as a kind of shorthand when writing the names of elements. The symbols need to
be written exactly. Students need to be careful when using symbols: CO is not cobalt (symbol Co)
but carbon and oxygen. Additionally, some symbols reflect ancient names, usually Latin. For
instance gold’s symbol is Au for the Latin name aurum.
In Investigation 2, part 2, students examine the lists of ingredients on consumer product labels to
discover the elements present. Students should realize that most of the ingredients are not simple
elements but substances composed of elements: it’s important for students to understand that
all…everything is composed of elements.
Resources: Fossweb multimedia Periodic Table. Reading Elements
What should students do…
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Read through science notebook and highlight important points
Practice the Quizlets on my website
Reread “Elements” page 3-6
Look at goals that are in your science notebooks…can you answer
or talk about all of them?