Welcome to chemistry! We will have a full year of learning the language of this foundational science. We will start off the year understanding the structure of an atom the characteristics of elements by investigating atomic theories and periodic law. This is the foundation for the whole course, like learning the alphabet of a new language. From there come the topics of bonding and compounds which result in new physical and chemical properties. This will be like us using our alphabet to form words. From there, we will move on to using the Law of Conservation of Matter to understand chemical reactions. This is like combining our words to form sentences. By the end of the semester, we will be able to form “chemical sentences” and have a good foundation to apply for the rest of the year. For second semester, we will understand the concept of a mole and use stoichiometry to further understand chemical reactions. We will then learn about thermochemistry, mixtures and solutions, gas laws, and reaction rates- understanding what is happening on a molecular level and how that affects physical and chemical properties. We will then explore the properties of acids, bases, and solutions, followed by exploring redox reactions. Throughout our course, we will learn in a variety of ways- labs, group work, writing, etc. I am looking forward to a great year!

Chemistry Week 1 (August 12)

We started off chemistry this week by receiving our textbooks and taking a look at expectations, procedures, and safety guidelines for class. We found out a bit about what we already know about chemistry and started to investigate a mystery of a burned towel. In doing so, we reviewed some science terms like parts of the scientific method, variables, quantitative and qualitative data, and observations. We talked about different ways that we can take notes as we do our homework reading and how to rank our own understanding. We then had a preview of some of the concepts you would encounter in homework this week. I am looking forward to Week 2 as we will continue to investigate our burned towel mystery and incorporate some new information about measurements from Chapter 2. Here is a link to the slides we used today, which has helpful videos and links to even more videos that could help in homework this week: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1eVWtbUZC9D_YAxe6ZcCKH45O8dL21nbNhPiMXeT-Hrw/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 2 (August 19)

This week we started by reading an article on flammable items and considered which ones might have contributed to our mystery of the burned towel. We went over the homework and filled out an organizer on Chapter 2 as well. After this we went through a series of stations related to the burned towel. At station 1, we used graduated cylinders and scales to measure the density of the bathroom tile affected by the burn. At station 2, we took data about the towel itself, measuring the area and practicing using the correct number of significant figures. At station 3, we practiced designing an experiment to try to determine what might have caused the fire. At station 4, we considered 4 different clear liquids that may have been involved and measured their density. Then at station 5, we watched a few videos about flammability, physical and chemical properties, and physical and chemical change. We will finish these stations next week. Here is link to the slides we used today: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1xDGBKIurxeMFt_fgPF07uj6sdI2CtYK0roY45kF9L-Y/edit?usp=share_link

Chemistry Week 3 (August 26)

This week in Chemistry we began class by setting up a model of the separation technique chromatography using filter paper, a cup of water, and a marker.  We went over the content from Chapter 3 using organizers and highlighting important points.  Students shared and checked their answers from homework as well.  After this, we revisited our Mystery of the Burned Towel stations and went over what we discovered from each station.  We received some more clues about what happened, including a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of the compound found at the scene of the crime that was identified as acetone, or fingernail polish remover!  We went over how to do a CER Essay (Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning), which students will complete this week as they defend what they think caused the fire.  Here is the link to the slides we used today: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1lVfjZzxAyq4QFJMqLGRAg1CHCkqXBOo7ZFf92bszgiU/edit?usp=share_link

Chemistry Week 4 (September 9)

This week in Chemistry we started by reviewing our homework and reviewing for the test.  Then we took the test over chapters 1-3.  Students had an opportunity to explore what might be inside of a tube by using what they could see and manipulate on the outside of the tube.  This is similar to what scientists had to do when discovering what matter is made of- they manipulated it and made observations to draw conclusions about what they could not see!  We discussed questions and beliefs that people had when trying to understand what makes up matter, which we will investigate in our homework this week! Here is the link to the slides we used today: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1JzOdkQjMsgS3byQWFiGMbCzsM8SuydBHOJvyo3kBJnk/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 5 (September 16)

This week in chemistry we began by taking notes on Chapter 4, covering the discovery of the atom and subatomic particles. Then we worked on an activity about isotopes where we used mass and relative abundance to try to find the atomic mass of “snacking” (Chex mix). As students did this activity I checked off homework and went over the test individually with students. We ran out of time on this, but these slides guided our time and students can check their homework with the slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11h5tfNpSJcum9iks4GlEzcbP53NRcGT3avPTiq-djLE/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 6 (September 23)

In class yesterday we practiced, reviewed, went over notes, explained, and practiced some more!  Hopefully we are all feeling a bit better about electron configurations, but feel free to email me if you have more questions.  We will continue to practice this and other concepts we have covered so far in the next few weeks.  The slides that guided our class are here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1IspYmBbMPloDgvls8aUXesREK1p6eSUcNfwGEGT-ALM/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 7 (September 30)

In class yesterday we started with a warm up on different topics from chapters 4 and 5 as I checked homework. We moved on to go over the information from chapter 6 with some notes to guide us and went over homework as well. We moved on to doing a stations activity about elements. Each group received one element. At one station they made observations about the element and tested how malleable or brittle it was. At another, we tested whether the element conducted electricity. At another station, we recorded information about the element using the periodic table. And at the final station, we answered questions regarding the element and periodic trends. We will finish this up next week. For homework this week, you will choose an element and do a project on it telling us all about that element! These are the slides that guided our class today: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KtTzATyVfWaZyyYnXzQoJYzWf75UkH2ETrU-vySHzXc/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 8 (October 7)

Today in chemistry we continued our element stations that we began last week. Each group had an element that we observed properties in, tested conductivity in, identified on the periodic table, and compared to others in terms of atomic radius and ionization energy. Then we did a demonstration of the atomic emission spectra by burning different compounds (sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and strontium chloride) to compare the colors that they emitted. Finally we had some time to work on a study guide and some presented their element projects. Homework is to work on the study guide to study for the test in two weeks (because next week is fall break). These are the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Yhy75o739DDN8pFN0ghtV1hlW5O6OP3h223Y3rCzi3o/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 9 (October 21)

Today in chemistry we reviewed a bit and then took our test on chapters 4-6. When finished, we read about radioactivity and also observed a real life gecko! This led to a discussion of gecko feet and how they stick. We asked questions and brainstormed ideas about how gecko feet stick and had a small introduction to our next unit: ionic bonding. These are the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/17E5IpjBtx4rUB_DM_nIPAxPasPvZfEtb45D9JJYd4PY/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 10 (October 28)

This week in chemistry we took a short quiz on the symbols of the first 15 elements of the periodic table. We took notes and used beads to model diagrams of ionic bonds. We continued to take a look at the properties of gecko feet to try to determine if the reason why they were sticking was due to ionic bonding. We continued with a lab on ionic bonds where we mixed various cations and anions to see if they reacted and then attempted to name the resulting compounds. We went over some of our homework, but will finish this and the lab next week! Here are the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_N46HWPZXeOFV3b6CpdgsS2j4lkcUZ1MzMNxabW5oMw/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 11 (November 4)

This week in chemistry we started with an article on the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide, only to discover that this is in fact just a fancy term for water. It’s helpful to see an example of how scientific information can be technically true and factual, but misleading. We saw a couple of video clips on how electrolytes are used in the body as part of our study of ions. We took a short quiz on the symbols of elements 16-30, and then went on to finish reviewing our homework from the previous week on ionic compounds. We revisited our lab on ionic compounds and practiced writing the chemical formula and written out name of the compounds we had formed. We took some notes on this past week’s work on metallic bonding and covalent bonding, using some beads to help us model what this looks like in atoms. And finally, we went over our homework on these topics. We are all caught up now, and homework for this week will be to practice what we have learned on identifying and naming ionic and covalent compounds. Here are the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1P18oxCIikfD5lbPX2VsEUzzrBwciUFgp8_jzfTHKcMM/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 12 (November 11)

This week in chemistry we began with our element quiz on the symbols of elements 31-45. We took some time to go over our homework on ionic and covalent bonding. We quickly revisited the topic of bonds and energy from our last class period and further discussed what types of forces outside of covalent and ionic bonds might be responsible for the gecko’s sticky feet. We went on to do some stations. At station 1 we compared melting points of different substances using our hot plate and timer. At station 2 we practice naming different types of acids. At station 3 we played an ionic bond card game. At station 4 we worked on a compound naming puzzle. And at station 5 we watched a couple of videos on what is actually happening with the gecko feet! We will finish up these stations next week, in addition to looking at some new information of how to model chemical bonds. Here are the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1M7tq7iztECPVS9mxhPEjIDVtCliDpJEPsnl_gD5nEBY/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 13 (November 18)

This week in chemistry we did a warm up practicing naming ionic compounds, covalent compounds, and acids. Students received a flow chart and polyatomic ion chart to help with this process! Then we took our elements quiz over elements 46-60. We finished our stations from last week and shared data from the melting point lab station. Then we took notes on an organizer from this past week’s homework and went over the homework questions as we did. We will finish this next week! Here are the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fuzb9exZtpODwmsa4KyaC4nSQMg75RqKucQVhrlvV5A/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 14 (December 2)

This week we practiced, practiced, practiced! We finished going over and practicing drawing Lewis structures and identifying whether a compound is polar. And then we took some notes on writing, balancing, and classifying chemical equations and practiced that together as well! We will have more practice on that for the homework this week which is attached below. Here are the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1j5ZUSNS87TIfMHRoElc7vc7VXZVqo10tP2X44WtUMCs/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 15 (December 9)

Today we started our class by reviewing the different types of chemical reactions and practiced writing and balancing several examples of them. We did an experiment by modeling a chemical reaction between sodium hydroxide and magnesium sulfate. We discovered that combining these reactants formed a precipitate. We learned how to write this equation as a balanced equation, a complete ionic equation, and as a net ionic equation. Students received their study guides and an optional “Chemistry of Baking” activity. We also reviewed over our homework answers with answer keys on the tables. Here are the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XzPBYWK8s1ro-IuGS3NoCmvwRDJDVQMkEr_TJ_9arBI/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 16 (December 16)

This week we took our last test and enjoyed some baked treats that the class brought in. Have a great Christmas!

Chemistry Week 17 (January 6)

This week we began class by looking at a short video clip about the possibility of mining oxygen from moon rocks. We introduced the concept of a mole as being the amount of a substance and modeled a few conversions with the mole: particles to moles, moles to particles, moles to mass, and mass to moles. We read a bit about our need for oxygen due to cellular respiration, the reaction that occurs in our bodies to convert glucose and oxygen to carbon dioxide, water, and ATP. We demonstrated cellular respiration (and some fermentation) with a short experiment using yeast and apple juice. Then we got to hear a guest speaker, Dr. James Pirkle, who was the director for the Center for Environmental Health at CDC for many, many years. This helped us learn a bit about how chemistry is applied in the real world. Here are the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1pMc7rsvQOJJk8PDkqKTqYI_k0MLDGIvdsD6MJZFGkXo/edit?usp=sharing.

Chemistry Week 18 (January 13)

This week in chemistry we began by checking over our balancing and identifying equations homework. We took a short open note, cooperative quiz on this topic to give us an opportunity for more practice and feedback. Then we checked over our homework on converting among moles, mass, and number of particles, followed by a class competition! We worked through tasks on mole conversions, and then completed tasks based on our question of whether we could mine oxygen from moon rocks. This included asking questions about oxygen in moon rocks, balancing the equation for cellular respiration (the process in our body that requires oxygen), and working with data on amounts of oxygen in moon rocks. We went over our final test from last semester, and introduced the concept coming up next about converting among moles, mass, and number of particles for compounds. Here are the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PWcBQxBzE-dWp0d5aaRnnr64pouKMLigHIKtSSRAN1w/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 19 (January 27)

This week in chemistry we started with checking our molar conversions homework and taking a short open note quiz on that. We checked over some of our homework and took notes along the way on how to calculate percent composition, empirical formulas, and molecular formulas. We did a short lab activity to try to discover the sugar composition and gum and whether it is throughout the gum or just not the surface. Here are the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1WWqbgmQREP_J7wZ355RbxA5J4z1dzIEGNwFAEPsqjOI/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 20 (February 3)

This week in chemistry we began by going over a couple of percent composition problems from homework and then trying our hand at one as an open note quiz. We finished going over some empirical formula problems. Then we took a look at some notes on the basic concepts of stoichiometry. We worked some of our homework problems together, then looked at a real life example. We observed some chemical equipment commonly used for heating: a ring stand, clay triangle, crucible, clamps, and bunsen burner. While we couldn’t use the bunsen burner inside, I described what happened when I measured the mass of some baking soda, added it to the crucible, heated it for several minutes, and found the ending mass. We used stoichiometry to calculate what the mass of the product should have been to compared to what it actually was experimentally. Finally, we revisited our problem of extracting oxygen from moon rocks by writing out the decomposition equations for different metal oxides. Next week we will talk about which of these reactions are actually plausible, and which might be most promising for extracting enough oxygen for life on the moon. These were the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aXZ5j6ZIQfVikWVPRkNdLb33SDLMs1ll4_vPmuPBEuY/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 21 (February 10)

This week in chemistry we started by reviewing some stoichiometry problems from our homework. We worked several example problems together, and then worked in groups to work some problems that came from our decomposition equations that we wrote about lunar oxides breaking down into metals and oxygen gas. We were able to calculate how many grams of oxygen could be extracted from these moon rocks if conditions are ideal (theoretical yield). We then got notes on our last piece of new information about how to identify the limiting reactant in an equation and how to calculate percent yield. We reviewed a homework problem on these and then calculated the percent yield for extracting oxygen from lunar oxides based on how much scientists have been able to extract with current technology. We watched a video clip on how scientists are currently working on extracting oxygen from lunar oxides to see how feasible it would be to use to breathe on the moon. These are the slides that guided our class and attached is all of the project information due in two weeks! https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/15HfU5pOEFk-xcJRUcJRWDCs3BOM1XqDV_HnMVh1_4kE/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 22 (February 24)

This week in chemistry we took our test over chapters 9-11! These are the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Np-0JxPnAyhk96GPs1ga4-5Nv8nnmJ2K52g8pacjjGU/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 23 (March 3)

This week in chemistry we began by looking into carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and manmade factors that contribute to it. We brainstormed different questions to ask about carbon in the atmosphere as well as different ideas for how to handle it. We also made a list of things we knew to be true about gases in general from our reading last week. We went on to take some notes and go over some homework on states of matter. Then we rotated through some stations looking at the qualities of water, sometimes in comparison to isopropyl alcohol. One station focused on the surface tension, cohesion, and adhesion of water as we saw how many drops we could fit onto a penny in comparison to isopropyl alcohol. One station focused on water’s cohesion as we raced a drop of water across wax paper. Another station focused on the different rates of evaporation of water, acetone, and isopropyl alcohol. The next station saw water engage in capillary action as it climbed its way up some filter paper. And finally the last station focused on water’s surface tension in comparison to isopropyl alcohol’s as we tried to float as many paper clips as possible on water’s surface. We will continue these next week and then look more closely at gases as well. The slides that guided our class can be found here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1l-1XKU-zwA_-vHX9fxWax5UcmVy9EgEjpNhqPGKgRI0/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 24 (March 10)

This week in chemistry we had a few people present their projects and then finished our station lab activities from the week before. We discussed how different liquids have different properties because of the strength of their intermolecular forces and finished a lab sheet on the station for different evaporation rates. Then we took notes on the gas laws and went over some of our homework problems. Here are the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1pMVD9xJkrhRTLeyq13KrDJpCvVGLsCC5YkGgjjArQU4/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 25 (March 17)

Today in chemistry we did some warm up questions on phase changes. We highlighted a simulation that is helpful for visualizing the gas laws and then did a demonstration with popping popcorn over a buns burner to try to calculate the pressure inside the kernel using the ideal gas law. We watched a video clip to help us understand the chemistry behind why carbon “traps” heat in the atmosphere and will continue to take a look at possible solutions to the carbon in the atmosphere problem. Finally we took some notes on mixtures and solutions and will continue this and go over some of those problems next week! Here are the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16yzWGweqd-rtRB_BuMkYfvKQY5M384HQ9E52drhEbmU/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 26 (March 24)

Today in chemistry we began by taking a look at different efforts at both reducing carbon in the atmosphere, but especially at techniques for sequestering carbon. We watched a few video clips on ocean sequestration, geologic sequestration, and talked about biological sequestration. Some of these involve the dissolving of carbon in different forms to get it from the atmosphere. We discussed different factors to consider like scalability, economic factors, efficiency, etc. in looking at solutions for getting carbon out of the atmosphere. Then we moved on to reviewing homework from last week and this week and taking notes. We did a few demonstrations on factors that affect the rate of solvation, and we also attempted to determine the specific heat of a metal ball. Next week we will have a test over the material we covered in chapters 12-15. The study guide is attached. Here are the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1BCYQcIadyxfIC3bWy7ydPW63r3cJot0z8RS1vMZ-bAs/edit?usp=sharing

Chemistry Week 27 (March 31)

Today we reviewed and then took our test on chapters 12-15. These were the slides that guided our class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1lHP1pj59gQolg15pUXoF6X08OA1Zcln3F-vFi_e2RI8/edit?usp=sharing