Science Chemistry Test A

Revision & Notes

Every substance in the universe is made up of building blocks known as atoms. These atoms can be
arranged in different combinations to create a countless number of substances.
Elements: Elements are substances that are made up of just one type of atom; a pure substance. For
example, copper is an element because it is only made up of copper atoms.
Each element has a unique set of characteristics that scientists refer to as properties. These properties
can determine whether an element is classified as metallic or non-metallic.
Metallic elements:
o Tend to lustrous
o Are solid at room temperature (except for mercury)
o Good conductors of heat and electricity
o Are malleable ( can be bent and hammered into thing sheets)
o Are ductile ( can be stretched into wires)
Non-metallic Elements:
o Tend to be dull
o Do not conduct heat or electricity
o Are brittle ( break or crumble when bent)

There are 118 known elements but only 92 are naturally occurring. Each element has a set of chemical
symbols. For example, Hg – Mercury. The chemical symbols are often derived from German.
Elements are made up of just one type of atom, however, atoms in elements can be arranged in a
number of different ways such as single atoms, in clusters of atoms (molecules), and large grid like
structures known as crystal lattices. The way atoms are arranged in an element determines many of
the physical properties for the element, such as, if its solid, liquid, or gas, its melting and boiling
points, if it conducts heat and electricity, and whether the element breaks or bends when force is
applied.
Monatomic elements: An element is made up of many individual elements is known as monatomic.
Monatomic elements are rare and only helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon are
monatomic.
Molecules: are clusters of two or more atoms chemically bonded together. Most non-metallic
elements are made up of molecules. In a molecular element, all the molecules are identical with the
same size, shape, and number/type of atoms. For this reason, scientists represent oxygen gas by the
molecular formula O2.
Crystal lattices: are large grid-like structures that repeat the same arrangement of atoms over and over.
All metallic elements have crystal lattices and only a few non-metallic elements form crystal lattices.
80% of elements are metals. The lattice structure makes metal dense, strong, and solid at room
temperature (exception being mercury). As a result, metals are important for the construction and
manufacturing of buildings and bridges. Atoms in metallic lattices can slide/move over each other
without breaking the lattice, which means metals are malleable and ductile. Only a few non-metallic
elements form lattices. One example is silicon.

Compounds: are substances that are made up of more than one type of atom. Every compound has a
unique set of characteristics, and usually very different from elements.
Some compounds are made up of molecules such as water, wax, and vegetable oil. In these
compounds, each molecule contains two or more different types of elements.

Molecular compounds: all the molecules in a compound are identical in size and shape and have the
same number of atoms.
Lattice compounds: compounds can also form crystal lattices. In these lattices, the atoms are bonded
very strongly to each other, so these compounds tend to be hard solids. Table salt is a good example of
a lattice compound and has the molecular formula of NaCl – sodium and chlorine. Another example is
beach sand, which is SiO2.
Mixtures: are mixtures of elements and compounds. They are made when more than one substance is
mixed which is not chemically bonded. This means mixtures can be easily separated. Such as
evaporating water in salty water to leave behind the salt.
Solute: dissolving liquid
Solvent: liquid in which the solute dissolves in
Since most solution have water as the solvent, they are often called aqueous solutions.
Describing mixtures can be difficult because there are a variety of substances, and the amount of each
substance may vary. Therefor you cannot write the chemical formulas for mixtures in the same way
you do for elements and compounds.
Alloys: are a mixture of metal with other metals or non-metals. Alloys are particularly important
because they often have very different and useful properties. For example, iron is cheap to produce
but rusts easily making it useless. Adding other metals to iron can make it more useful in a variety of
applications.

Terminology & Definitions:

Data: measurements and observations about something

Primary Data: data you collect yourself from an experiment
Secondary Data: data you have not found through an experiment; sources can be textbooks,
encyclopedias, internet, etc.
Mistake: things that affect your measurement but can be avoided with care
Error: small changed in measurements that can not be avoided; even with care.
Hypothesis: an “educated” guess about what might happen in an experiment
Independent variable: the variable that is changed
Dependent variable: the variable that is measured
Controlled variable: the variable(s) that is kept constant throughout and experiment
Fair test: when only one variable is changed in an experiment
Element: substances made up of only one type of atom
Metal: substances that have a metallic shine, conduct heat and electricity, and can be hammered into
sheets and drawn into wires.
Malleable: able to be hammered or bent into
Brittle: easily crumbled or shattered
Non-metal: substances that are usually dull (not shiny), do not conduct heat and electricity, and break
or crumble.
Periodic Table: a table that shows all the known elements
Molecule: a cluster of atoms
Compound: substances made of lattices or identical molecules with two or more types of atoms
Mixture: any combination of two or more elements or compounds
Alloy: a mixture of a metal with other metals or non-metals