Secondary 1 science: Chemical Composition of Matter

Elements
Elements are the simplest form of substance that cannot be broken down further into
simpler substances by chemical reactions (heating or electricity).

Elements are found in the periodic table with their symbols.

Fluorine

***Need to familiarize yourself with the first 20 elements and their symbols, from Hydrogen
(H) to Calcium (Ca).

Exercise:
Spend some time to memorize the first 20 elements and their symbols and fill in the blanks
below.
(a) Copper, Symbol: _______ (d) Sodium, Symbol: _______
(b) Hydrogen, Symbol: ________ (e) Carbon, Symbol: _______
(c) Magnesium, Symbol: _______ (f) Oxygen, Symbol: _______
Elements in a periodic table can be classified into different categories.
1) Metals and non-metals.

As we read the periodic table from left to right, the elements go from metals to non-metals.

Metals vs non-metals
Metals

1. Shiny.
2. Good conductors of heat and electricity.
3. Malleable (can bend without breaking).
4. Ductile (They can be drawn into wires).
5. The are solid at room temperature, except for mercury, it is liquid.
6. Hard and strong.
7. They have high density.
Non-metals

1. They are dull.

2. Poor conductors of heat and electricity.
3. The are weak and brittle (they easily break or shatter)
4. They have low density.
5. Eleven non-metals exist as gas at room temperature. For e.g., Oxygen and Chlorine.
6. One non-metal, bromine, exist as liquid at room temperature.
7. The other non-metals are solid at room temperature. For e.g., Carbon, sulfur, and
iodine.

The periodic table is arranged in groups and periods.

What are groups in a periodic table?

There are all together 8 groups in the periodic table (Group I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, 0 OR
group 1, 2, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 ,18)

Groups: Vertical column of elements that

have similar chemical properties!!!

For example, Group I elements are Lithium

(Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium
(Rb), caesium (Cs) and francium (Fr).

They are Alkali metals and have similar

chemical properties.

Exercise:
Can you list down all Group III / 13 elements?
The periodic table is arranged in groups and periods.

What are Periods in the periodic table?

A Period in the periodic table is the horizontal row of elements that show a change in
chemical properties from left to right.

RECALL: Elements can be classified

as metals and non-metals.
As we read from left to right of the
periodic table, the elements change
from metallic to non-metallic!!!

For example: Period 2 of the periodic table contain elements Lithium (Li), beryllium (Be),
boron (B), Carbon (C), Nitrogen (N), Oxygen (O), Fluorine (F) and Neon (Ne).

Elements in the far left like Lithium and beryllium are metals.

Elements in the far right like oxygen and nitrogen are non-metals.
Atom vs molecule

What is an atom?
An atom is the smallest particle of an element that can take part in chemical
reactions. Atoms are very small. The symbol of an atom is the same as the
element.

What is a molecule?
A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are chemically joined to each
other.
Molecules made up of two or more of the same atoms are called molecules of
elements. Most non-metal elements exist as molecule es.
1. Molecules with two same atoms: diatomic
2. Molecules with more than two similar atoms: polyatomic molecules.

Most gas elements exist as 2 atoms joined together for e.g., Oxygen (O2),
Nitrogen (N2) etc.
Compounds

What are compounds?

Compounds are pure substances made up of two or more elements chemically
combined.
Compounds have a FIXED COMPOSITION – Its elements always combine in FIXED
proportion.

How do we make compounds?

For example, Magnesium (which is an element) burns with oxygen (which is an element)
to give Magnesium oxide.

2Mg + O2 2MgO

How do we know whether a chemical reaction has occurred?

1. A bright light is observed.
2. The product produced has different properties from its elements. IN THIS CASE:
magnesium oxide is white in color and brittle while magnesium is grey and
malleable.
Breaking down of compounds
Compounds can also be broken down into simpler substances by chemical
reactions.

1) Breaking down using heat (Thermal decomposition).

For example:
Heating of Copper (II) Carbonate.

Copper (II) Carbonate Copper (II) oxide + Carbon dioxide gas

Naming and reading of compounds.
***What information can we get from chemical formulas?
Chemical formulas tell us many things and exam questions usually test these concepts
below:

Exercise:
Below is the chemical formula of a substance:

Using the periodic table, try listing out the different types of elements that make up this
substance:
_____________________________________________________________________
What is the total number of atoms that make up this substance?
_____________________________________________________________________
Mixtures
What are mixtures?
Mixtures are formed when two or more substances (can be elements or
compounds) are physically mixed with no chemical reaction.

An example of a mixture is the air around us, why?

Oxygen

Air

Carbon dioxide

As we can see from above, air contains many different types of gases like oxygen
and carbon dioxide floating around. Can you see that they are not chemically
mixed. There isn’t a chemical reaction to combine oxygen and carbon dioxide. They
are just side by side each other also known as physical mixing.

Also, we learnt that oxygen is an element and carbon dioxide is a compound.

RECALL: the definition of mixture is, when two or more substances (elements or
compounds) are physically mixed with no chemical reaction.

Therefore, Air is a mixture!!!

Comparing between elements, compounds, and mixtures.

An example of a single-atom element is Helium (He)

An example of two-atom element is Oxygen (O2)

An example of a compound is Carbon dioxide (CO2) because it is made up of two

different elements (Carbon and Oxygen) chemically combined.
What are the types of mixtures?

What is a solution?
Soluble (dissolvable) solids (solute) dissolve in water (solvent) forms a solution.

A solute is basically any solid A solvent is any liquid that can

substance or powder that dissolve other substances.
dissolves in the solvent.

Visual diagram of a solute (copper sulphate) dissolving in a solvent (water) to form a

solution.
Dilute, concentrated and saturated solution.
We just talk about when a solute dissolves in a solvent, it forms a solution, however, there are
different types of solution depending on the amount of solute added.

A dilute solution is when A saturated solution is A concentrated solution is

very little amount of solute
is dissolved in a solution.
How little?
Way less compared to the
amount of water.
when too much solute is when a lot of solute is
added to the solvent such dissolved in a solvent.
that it cannot dissolve
anymore and starts to
accumulate.

For e.g., dissolving one

teaspoon of sugar into 1
liter volume of water.
Solubility
Solubility is defined as the maximum amount of solute (solid) that can dissolve in a
fixed amount of solvent (liquid) at a fixed temperature.

For example, solubility of sodium chloride in water at room temperature is 35g / 100cm3 of
water.

This means that at room temperature, only 35g max of sodium chloride can dissolve in
100 cm3 of water.

What is a suspension?
A suspension is when insoluble solids cannot dissolve in water.
The solid particles are large enough to be seen and eventually will settle to the bottom of
the water.

These solid particles

cannot dissolve in
the water, and they
settle to the bottom.

This entire thing is

called a suspension.
Mixtures can exist in different states (solid, liquid, and gas.)
We have seen that mixtures can be in liquid form and gas form.

Air
Coffee

O2 CO2

Coffee made up of
caffeine particles mixed
with sugar particles and
mixed with milk particles.

***Mixtures can also exist as solid.

These are called ALLOYS.
ALLOY: Mixture of a metal with one or a few other elements!! Example of solid
mixtures called alloys
like steel and bronze.
DON’T NEED TO
MEMORIZE!!!

Just know the concept

of ‘solid mixtures’
called alloys exist.