Section II: Basic Building
Materials
Lesson 6 A New Language
Lesson 7 Now You See It
Lesson 8 What Goes Around Comes
Around
Lesson 9 Create a Table
Lesson 10 Breaking the Code
Lesson 6: A New Language
Chemical Names and Symbols
ChemCatalyst
Two bottles are on a shelf in a chemistry
lab. Both contain a shiny yellow metal.
Bottle A is labeled Au(s). Bottle B is
labeled FeS2(s).
1. What do you think the symbols on the
bottles mean?
2. Do you think both bottles contain gold?
Why or why not?
Key Question
What do chemical names and symbols tell you
about matter?
You will be able to:
•
•
•
define the terms element, compound, and
aqueous
recognize whether a substance is an element or
a compound based on its chemical formula or
symbol
decipher some basic chemical formulas and
symbols
Prepare for the Activity
Work in groups of eight.
Discussion Notes
The Language of Chemistry
Symbol for sulfur
Symbol for copper
Symbol for oxygen
Subscript for oxygen
Discussion Notes (cont.)
All matter in the universe either is an element or is
made of some combination of elements.
Element: A unique substance that cannot be
broken down into simpler substances through
chemical processes. Elements serve as the
building materials of all matter.
Compound: A pure substance that is a chemical
combination of two or more elements in a fixed
ratio.
Discussion Notes (cont.)
The first letter of an element’s symbol is always
uppercase, and if there is a second letter it is
always lowercase.
Compounds are represented by chemical formulas.
Chemical formula: A combination of symbols and
subscripts that indicates the number and types of
elements in a compound.
Discussion Notes (cont.)
Some common groupings of elements have their
own specific names.
Substances come in different physical forms,
called phases.
Phase: The physical form a substance is in, such
as solid, liquid, or gas. Phase is greatly
influenced by temperature.
Aqueous: A substance is aqueous when it is
dissolved in water.
Wrap Up
What do chemical names and symbols tell you
about matter?
• Chemical symbols represent the elements.
Each element has either a one- or two-letter
symbol. The first letter is always uppercase; the
second letter is always lowercase.
• The chemical formula of a substance indicates
what elements are in it as well as the relative
amounts of each element in that substance.
• The symbols (s), (l), (g), and (aq) indicate the
physical form or phase of a substance and
whether it is dissolved in water.
Check-in
Imagine that you find a vial labeled Na2SO4(aq).
What does the label tell you about what is in this
vial?
Lesson 7: Now You See It
The Copper Cycle
ChemCatalyst
Answer these safety questions about the lab you
will be doing today. If you can’t answer these
questions, go back and reread the procedure.
1. Name three things that could be dangerous in
this lab.
2. Why must part of the lab be done in a fume
hood?
3. What do you need to put on before starting
the lab? Why?
Key Question
What happens to matter when it is changed?
You will be able to:
•
•
follow a lab procedure safely
describe a chemical change or chemical
reaction
Prepare for the Lab
Work in groups of four.
Prepare for the Lab (cont.)
During the lab, follow these safety guidelines:
• Wear your safety goggles at all times.
• Be very careful when handling chemicals. If any
gets on your skin, wash the area immediately
with water and inform your teacher.
• Use the fume hood when adding the nitric acid
to the copper; do not breathe in any of the gas.
• When using the hot plate, set it at a medium
setting. Be careful not to splash when stirring
the chemicals.
Prepare for the Lab (cont.)
Remove the beaker from the hot plate with beaker
tongs.
Prepare for the Lab (cont.)
Set up and use the funnel and filter paper following
the instructions.
Check-in
You could see copper only in the first and last
steps of today’s lab. Where do you think the
copper was the rest of the time? Be specific.
Lesson 8: What Goes Around
Comes Around
Conservation of Matter
ChemCatalyst
What do you think happened to the copper
powder in the copper cycle experiment when it
was mixed with the nitric acid?
Key Question
What happens to elements in a chemical change?
You will be able to:
• explain that the product of chemical reactions
depends on what was present at the time of
reaction
• explain that matter cannot be created or
destroyed in a chemical reaction
Prepare for the Activity
Work in groups of four.
Discussion Notes
The Copper Cycle
Discussion Notes (cont.)
You could prove that copper was not destroyed by
measuring the mass of the copper powder at the
beginning and at the end of the experiment.
Law of conservation of mass: The law states
that mass cannot be gained or lost in a chemical
reaction–matter cannot be created or destroyed.
Discussion Notes (cont.)
No matter what was done to the copper, it was not
broken down any further.
The observations we have made in the copper
cycle lab provide further evidence that the golden
penny is not gold.
Wrap Up
What happens to elements in a chemical change?
• Elemental copper can be transformed through
chemical reactions and then recovered.
• We can represent elements with symbols and
keep track of them during chemical reactions.
• Elements combine and recombine but are not
created or destroyed in chemical reactions.
Check-in
Sodium chloride, NaCl (aq), is added to silver
nitrate, AgNO3 (aq), resulting in NaNO3 (aq) and
a white solid.
Identify the white solid from the list below.
Explain your choice.
A. AgCl (s)
B. AgCl (aq)
C. AgNO3(s)
D. NaCl (s)
Lesson 9: Create A Table
Properties of the Elements
ChemCatalyst
1. How do you think the elements are organized
in this table?
2. What do you think the numbers represent?
Key Question
How is the periodic table organized?
You will be able to:
• describe how the organization of the periodic
table is based on reactivity and atomic mass
• predict the characteristics of a missing element
on the periodic table based on its position in the
table
Prepare for the Activity
Work in groups of four with one set of Create a
Table cards for each group.
Prepare for the Activity (cont.)
Atomic Mass: The mass of a single atom (or
isotope) of an element.
Each element has an average atomic mass that
is expressed as a decimal number. These are
the numbers that appear in the ChemCataylst
and also on the Create a Table cards.
Prepare for the Activity (cont.)
What is reactivity?
Reactivity is a property that describes whether an
element or compound will chemically combine
with other substances to form compounds and
also describes the speed of a reaction. Reactivity
information is included on the Create a Table
cards.
Discussion Notes
Mendeleyev organized his periodic table based on
the properties of the elements, such as reactivity
and atomic mass.
Mendeleyev’s arrangement of the elements helped
predict the existence and properties of as-yetundiscovered elements.
Wrap Up
How is the periodic table organized?
• Mendeleyev organized his periodic table based
on the properties of the elements, specifically,
reactivity and atomic mass.
• Elements in each column of the periodic table
have similar properties.
• Reactivity describes whether an element will
chemically combine with other common
substances and also describes the speed of the
reaction.
• Mendeleyev’s arrangement of the elements
helped predict the existence of undiscovered
elements.
Check-in
Which of these elements would be grouped
together on the periodic table? Explain your
thinking.
cadmium
Cd
moderately soft,
silvery, solid, metal
reacts very slowly
with water
found in CdCl2(s)
zinc
Zn
moderately hard,
silvery, solid, metal
reacts very slowly
with water
found in ZnCl2(s)
iodine
I
purple, solid,
nonmetal
reacts slowly with
metals
found in ICl(s)
mercury
Hg
silvery, liquid, metal
does not react with
water
found in HgCl2(s)
Lesson 10: Breaking the Code
The Periodic Table
ChemCatalyst
The atomic mass of silver is 107.9 amu. The atomic mass
of gold is 197.0 amu. Where would you place these
elements on the periodic table you created in Lesson 9:
Create a Table? Explain your reasoning.
Key Question
What information does the periodic table reveal
about the elements?
You will be able to:
• use the periodic table to identify elements that
are metals, nonmetals, metalloids, alkali metals,
alkaline earth metals, transition elements,
halogens, noble gasses, lanthanides, and
actinides
• describe the general properties of elements,
that are periodic in nature
• predict the general properties of an element
based on its location on the periodic table and
identify elements that will exhibit similar
chemical behavior
Prepare for the Activity
In groups of four, sort the Create a Table cards
using the patterns you discovered in Lesson 9:
Create a Table.
Prepare for the Activity (cont.)
Open up the card sort.
Prepare for the Activity (cont.)
The card sort table can be opened up to
accommodate more elements.
Prepare for the Activity (cont.)
Evolution of the Periodic Table
Prepare for the Activity (cont.)
Add Mendeleyev’s remaining elements.
Prepare for the Activity (cont.)
Atomic Number: The consecutive whole numbers
associated with the elements on the periodic table.
The atomic number is equal to the number of
protons in the atomic nucleus of an element.
Discussion Notes
There are horizontal (from left to right) and vertical
(from top to bottom) patterns on the periodic table.
Grainy shading indicates nonmetals and metalloids,
solid shading indicates metals.
Darker hues mean more reactivity.
A black outline indicates solids, a red outline
indicates gases, and a green outline indicates
liquids.
Discussion Notes (cont.)
Vocabulary Related to the Periodic Table
Group: A vertical column in the periodic table.
Elements in a group have similar properties.
Period: Horizontal rows on the periodic table.
Alkali metals: The elements in Group 1A.
Alkaline earth metals: The elements in Group 2A.
Halogens: The elements in Group 7A.
Noble gases: The elements in Group 8A. They are
called “noble” gases because they are not reactive.
Discussion Notes (cont.)
Main group elements: The elements in Groups
1A to 8A.
Transition elements: The elements in Groups
1B to 8B.
Lanthanides and actinides: The two rows of 14
elements each that are placed separately at the
bottom of the periodic table.
Discussion Notes (cont.)
Metals: Elements that are excelled conductors of
heat and electricity. They generally are shiny and
malleable (flexible). They are found to the left of the
stair-step line on the periodic table.
Nonmetals: Elements that are poor conductors of
heat and electricity. They generally are dull and
brittle. They are found to the right of the stair-step
line.
Metalloids: The elements between the metals and
nonmetals. They are found along the stair-step line.
Wrap Up
What information does the periodic table reveal
about the elements?
• Patterns repeat on the periodic table. The table is
organized so elements in each column of the
periodic table have similar properties.
• The periodic table lists the name, symbol, and
average atomic mass of each element.
• Several groups of elements and some periods
have specific names, such as halogens or noble
gasses.
• Metals are in the center and left, and nonmetals
are at the top right; elements near the dividing
line are considered metalloids.
Check-in
Look up silver, Ag, on your periodic table. Use
these cards for Cu, copper, and Au, gold, to
create a card for silver.