TERM 1 - WEEK 5
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Chemical equations represent how atoms are rearranged during a chemical reaction to form new substances. Although the atoms combine in different ways, the total number of atoms remains the same. As a result, the total mass of the reactants is equal to the total mass of the products, demonstrating the law of conservation of mass.
Understanding Atoms
Understanding Atoms
Everything around us is made of tiny particles called atoms. An atom is the smallest unit of an element that still keeps the properties of that element. Different elements are made of different kinds of atoms. For example, a hydrogen atom is different from an oxygen atom because they contain different numbers of particles inside them.
Atoms are considered the building blocks of matter. Anything that has mass and occupies space is made of atoms, including water, air, food, plants, and even the human body. Although atoms are extremely small and cannot be seen by the naked eye, they play an important role in all physical and chemical changes.
An atom is made up of three main subatomic particles:
Protons – positively charged particles found in the nucleus
Neutrons – particles with no charge found in the nucleus
Electrons – negatively charged particles moving around the nucleus
The center of the atom is called the nucleus, which contains the protons and neutrons. Electrons move around the nucleus in regions called energy levels.
The number of protons inside an atom determines what element it is. For example:
Hydrogen has 1 proton.
Carbon has 6 protons.
Oxygen has 8 protons.
During chemical reactions, atoms are not destroyed. Instead, they separate and rearrange to form new substances. This idea becomes important in understanding the Law of Conservation of Mass.
DAY 1 - Describe how atoms rearrange during a chemical reaction using particle
models.
During a chemical reaction, atoms rearrange themselves to form new substances. The atoms in the reactants are not created or destroyed; instead, the bonds between them may break and new bonds form, causing the atoms to combine in different ways. Using particle models, this rearrangement can be shown by comparing the particles before and after the reaction. For example, when hydrogen reacts with oxygen to form water, hydrogen and oxygen atoms are rearranged from separate hydrogen and oxygen molecules into water molecules. This demonstrates the Law of Conservation of Mass, because the same types and numbers of atoms are present before and after the reaction.
Note: Explore the Particle Model Simulator to learn more
DAY 2 - Interpret simple chemical equations to identify reactants, products, and
atom rearrangement
How to Interpret a Simple Chemical Equation
How to Interpret a Simple Chemical Equation
A chemical equation represents a chemical reaction using chemical formulas and symbols. To interpret a simple chemical equation, first identify the reactants, which are the starting substances written on the left side of the arrow, and the products, which are the new substances formed and written on the right side. The arrow (→) means “produces,” “forms,” or “yields.” Next, examine the coefficients, or the numbers placed before chemical formulas, which indicate the number of molecules or particles involved. Then, examine the subscripts, or the small numbers within chemical formulas, which indicate the number of atoms of each element in a molecule or formula unit. Finally, compare the reactants and products to determine how the atoms are rearranged into new substances while the total number of each type of atom remains the same.
For example, in 2H₂ + O₂ → 2H₂O, hydrogen (H₂) and oxygen (O₂) are the reactants, while water (H₂O) is the product. The equation shows that two hydrogen molecules react with one oxygen molecule to produce two water molecules. The hydrogen and oxygen atoms are rearranged to form water, but no atoms are created or destroyed.
DAY 3: Explain the Law of Conservation of Mass using experimental evidence.
Atoms are the basic building blocks of matter, and each atom has its own mass called atomic mass. When atoms combine to form compounds, their atomic masses are added together to determine the formula mass of the substance.
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Conservation of Mass
Conservation of Mass
When atoms combine to form compounds, their atomic masses are added together to determine the formula mass of a substance. During chemical reactions, the number of atoms is equal in both the reactant and the product.
The Law of Conservation of Mass states that mass cannot be created or destroyed during a chemical reaction. This means that the total mass of the reactants is always equal to the total mass of the products. In simpler terms, the atoms before the reaction are the same atoms after the reaction. They are only rearranged to form new substances.
For example, when hydrogen gas reacts with oxygen gas to form water, the atoms of hydrogen and oxygen do not disappear. They combine in a different arrangement to produce water molecules. Because no atoms are lost or gained, the total mass remains constant.
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In the equation above:
The left side represents the reactants.
The right side represents the products.
There are 4 hydrogen atoms and 2 oxygen atoms on both sides of the equation.
This idea explains why chemical equations must be balanced. Balancing equations shows that atoms are conserved during chemical reactions.
DAY 4: Balance simple chemical equations to show equal numbers of atoms on
both sides.
Balancing a chemical equation means making the number of atoms of each element equal on both sides of the equation. This process follows the Law of Conservation of Mass, which states that matter cannot be created or destroyed during a chemical reaction. In every reaction, atoms are only rearranged to form new substances. Because atoms are conserved, the total number of atoms before and after the reaction must remain the same.
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DAY 5: Relate balanced equations to the law of conservation of mass in real-life
reactions
Balancing chemical equations is directly connected to the Law of Conservation of Mass because both explain that matter is neither created nor destroyed during a chemical reaction. It is only rearranged as atoms are reorganized to form new substances. This means that the total mass of the reactants (starting substances) must always be equal to the total mass of the products (substances formed after the reaction), especially in a closed system where no matter can enter or escape. In essence, chemical reactions do not change the total amount of matter—they only change how atoms are grouped together.
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