Name ____________________________________________________________
What is a Compound.2015
Date _______________
hydrogen
hydrogen
Activity: What is a Compound?
oxygen
Goal: To determine that a chemical formula tells us the kind and
number of elements that make up the compound.
Water molecule
Background Information: When two or more elements combine chemically they
form a compound. Water, for example, is a compound made up of the elements
hydrogen and oxygen. The chemical abbreviation for water is H2O. From this
abbreviation you can tell that a water molecule is made up of 2 atoms of
hydrogen and 1 atom of oxygen. (When there is no number in front of an
element’s symbol it is understood to be one.)
Salt, which is abbreviated NaCl is made up of 1 atom of sodium and 1 atom of
chlorine.
What other compounds are you familiar with?
Materials: A variety of common compounds such as salt, zinc oxide (sun block),
chalk, baking soda, silk cloth, a rusty nail, aspartame (NutraSweet), sandpaper
Procedure:
1. What I Know: Write two sentences about what you already know or think you
know about compounds.
2. Examine the common compounds available for you in this activity.
3. Read the labels showing the chemical abbreviations.
4. Using the chart provided, tell the elements and number of atoms of each
element that are represented in each compound. (The chart below is just a
sample. You will get a larger chart to use for this activity.)
5. What I Observed: Your observations will include the chart you complete
below.
Compound
Chemical
Formula
Salt
(sodium chloride)
NaCl
Zinc oxide
(sun block)
2ZnO
Baking soda
(sodium
bicarbonate)
Silk cloth
NaHCO3
Aspartame
(NutraSweet)
C14H18O5N2
Rust
(Iron oxide)
3Fe2O3
Chalk
(limestone)
CaCO3
Sand paper
(aluminum oxide)
Al2O3
7.
1st element and
number of
atoms
2nd element and
number of
atoms
3rd element and
number of atoms
4thelement and
number of
atoms
C10H18O5N4
Questions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Be sure
to restate the question in your responses.
a. What’s the difference between an element and a compound?
b.
What is the difference between an organic and an inorganic compound?
c.
List the four categories of organic compounds.
8. What I Wonder: Pose a why or how question that you may still have about
the topic of compounds.
9. What I Learned:
CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) Writing Prompts: Use the following
prompts to help you construct your lab conclusion, What I Learned.

Goal: State the goal of this lesson. (See the top of the first page of this
activity.)
The goal of this lesson is…

Claim: What did you learn from the activity that satisfies the goal of this
lesson? This is an I Learned statement.
I learned that a chemical formula tells me…….

Evidence: How can you prove from your observations (data) that you
learned what you claim? This can be a general statement that you will
explain in detail in your explanation.
I know this because….
How does a chemical equation tell you the kind and number of
elements in a compound?



What did the symbols in the equation tell you?
What did the subscripts in the equation tell you?
What did the coefficients in the equation tell you?

Explanation/Reasoning: Include the scientific principles that connect the
evidence and claim. (What’s the science that helps explain your claim and
evidence. The information can be from what you learned in our class
discussions, the textbook, or other resources that will help support your
claim or enhance your explanation.
1.
2.
3.
4.

What is an atom?
What are the parts of an atom?
What is an element?
What is a compound?
Conclusion: Summarize the claim of the lesson (reword the claim) and
include a connection to self, text, or world.
1. What are the common elements found in living things?
2. Are you made up of compounds?
3. What are some compounds that make up living things, including
you?
You can also use your warm-ups and previous labs as sources for your
connections.