Riccardo's Science Blog

Summary: The Law of Conservation and Mass states that atoms cannot be created or destroyed. They can only be rearranged. Atoms are the building blocks for everything in the world. Compounds are two or more atoms that combine to make something new. A chemical reaction is when atoms come together or break apart to form new things. Extra atoms after a chemical reaction become waste to be used in another reaction. This is why we try to have as few atoms leftover as possible. Atom economy is the attempt to have as few atoms leftover from a reaction as possible. An experiment of burning sulfur proved the first theory of the The Law of Conservation and Mass. During this experiment the burned sulfur weighed less than it did before, but the air around it weighed more. Meaning that weight was transferred. S&EP-Conducting Investigations: You can tell that a chemical reaction occurred if gas was created, a change in temperature, and a change in color. There are t...

Summary : Balancing equations may sound difficult to do, but there are a few simple steps to follow that can make sure that you balance an equation correctly. First of all, you need to an equation to balance. Obviously you need an unbalanced equation to be able to balance it.  Next, you need to draw boxes around each and every compound. This is so that you do not touch or change the compounds. After that count the atoms. It may sound confusing, but all that means is look at the subscripts next to each atom to find the number of atoms in the equation. If there is no number after the element, then there is only 1. Then, write coefficients for each compound until both sides are equal. The biggest rule is you can NEVER EVER touch the subscripts, you can only add coefficients. Lastly, continue counting the atoms and adding coefficients until both the reactant and product side are equal. S&EP-Conducting Investigations : We conducted an investigation to determine what causes a p...

Summary :  An ionic bond is held together by the attraction between opposite charges.  An ionic bond forms between a metal and a nonmetal.  To form an ionic compound you need both a positive and negative ion.    A positive ion is an atom that has lost one or more electrons giving it a positive charge. A negative ion is an atom that has gained one or more electrons giving it a negative charge.  Metals have a tendency to lose electrons to form a positive ion, while non metals normally gain electrons to form a negative ion.  When you have a covalent bond you have two different atoms that share electrons because of potential energy. Covalent bonds are with two non metals.   In order to form a covalent bond both atoms need a strong enough attraction and they need the room for the electrons in their outer shell.  Ionic bonds are when electrons are transferred between atoms while covalent bonds share electrons. S&EP-Using Mathematics: When l...

Summary :  So what is an element?  An element is a pure substance that cannot be separated into simpler materials. A pure substance is a sample of matter that only contains one type of atom. Now, the compounds. A compound is created by  two or more different pure substances that are joined by chemical bonds. Compounds can not be separated by physical means. Separating compounds requires a chemical reaction. A mixture is two or more elements or compounds. These are not chemically combined. There are two types of mixtures.  A heterogeneous mixture is the least mixed mixture and is the easiest to take apart. A good way to visualize this would be a pizza. A homogeneous mixture, also known as a solution, can be separated by physical means.    A solution could be  soda or milk. Something similar to mixtures are colloids. A  colloid is when the particles are not dissolved, but they are mixed.   S&EP- Conduct...