SmartNGSS.

com

The Structure
of Matter

Smart
NGSS
 PHOTO & IMAGE CREDITS
BlackJack3D, ©iStock.com (crystal molecule, page 6-7); kwiktor, ©123rf.com (geyser, page 8); Tim Brauhn, flickr.com (board game, page 10); 123dan321, stock.xchng (liquids, page
16); Eneen, ©iStock.com (aluminum bars, page 16); Rennett Stowe, flickr.com (lake, page 17); Irina Loginova, ©iStock.com (balloons, page 18); Nat Tarbox, flickr.com (fish tank,
page 18); Hafiz Issadeen, flickr.com (pencil, page 18); JamesAchard, commons.wikimedia.org; (water, page 19); Nate Steiner, flickr.com (salt, page 19); Manthy, stock.xchng (mine,
page 22); Tom Check, ©flickr.com (mine, page 22); Eicker, flickr.com (plane, page 24); Efesan, ©iStock.com (quartz, page 24); Stephanie Howard, ©iStock.com (sodium bicarbonate,
page 24); Nate Steiner, flickr.com (salt, page 24); Frenchbyte, morguefile.com (sucrose, page 24); Bashta, flickr.com (gold, page 24); Euthman, flickr.com (sulfur, page 24); Wayne
Noffsinger, flickr.com (iron oxide, page 24); Brainmaster, ©iStock.com (diamond, page 24).

2 smartngss.com
SmartNGSS

The Structure of Matter

This is the printable version of a SmartNGSS multimedia learning unit. The content is
taken from the interactive digital content available at smartngss.com. The aim is to com-
plement digital content with paper format to facilitate work in classrooms that do not
have one computer per student.

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NGSS

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The Structure of Matter 3

 UNIT STRUCTURE

Cover Page
The unit title is highlighted and the learning
objectives presented. An index of the contents
according to the 5-E Model is also provided.
The digital version also includes an activity
to review the skills and knowledge required
to undertake the unit.

Engage
A video and a related activity are available
with the digital version. Both versions have a
summary on page one. Different activities are
proposed for the video; some of these may be
interactive in the digital version, but they all
contain open-ended questions.

Explore
This exploratory and discovery activity is devised
to mobilize prior knowledge and check it against
the results obtained from the experience.
The digital version contains the necessary
multimedia resources required for this activity:
simulators, videos, interactivities, etc.

4 smartngss.com


Explain
The unit’s key concepts are formally and
systematically addressed. The digital version
includes a wide range of multimedia resources
to facilitate understanding of the ideas
presented. The printable version includes all
basic graphic elements and references to the
digital resources available. The digital version
may also include reinforcement or enrichment
activities.

Elaborate
In this stage, the newly acquired knowledge
can be applied in a practical way. Thus, a
problem-solving activity is proposed, one
which requires the application of the concepts,
attitudes, and procedures learned throughout
the unit. The digital version may provide
multimedia tools (such as simulators or
videos) to help develop and solve the activity.

Exercises
Each of the concepts addressed in the
“Explain” stage is related to interactive or open-
ended exercises with the aim of consolidating
the topics covered through practice. The
printable version includes all the exercises
except for reinforcement or enrichment
activities, and they are organized in accordance
with the contents from the “Explain” section.

Unit Structure 5
 The Structure of Matter
Engage
How Can A Substance Transform into Another One? 08

Explore
A Game of Letters and Chemical Reactions
10

Explain
Two Types of Substance 16
Elements 16
Compounds 17
Compounds or Mixtures 17
The Atomic Model 18
Atoms and Elements 18
Combinations of Atmos and Compounds 19
Chemical Reactions: The Rearrangement of Atoms 19
Types of Chemical Reactions 20
List of Elements 20
Periodic Table of the Elements 21
Chemical Formula of a Compound 21

Elaborate
The Materials Around You
22

Exercises
24

6 smartngss.com
 Smart
NGSS

In this unit, you will learn:

Objectives

What Is Matter Made Of?

In this unit, you will use the scientific practice of developing and using models to understand
and explain what matter is made of. Scientists and Engineers use models to make
predictions, demonstrate how things work, and create explanations for why things happen.
You will use different models to represent chemical changes and describe how matter is
conserved in these changes. Your research will prepare you to successfully complete a
research project where you will gather and make sense of information to describe how
synthetic (human-made) materials come from natural resources and how they impact
society. Scientists gather, read, and use information from many different resources, checking
credibility, accuracy, and possible bias, to understand and learn more about ideas and
natural phenomena they are interested in.

Cover Page 7
 HOW CAN A SUBSTANCE TRANSFORM INTO ANOTHER ONE?
Engage

We see how water around us keeps transforming. It expands

and contracts. It changes state. It mixes with other substances
and can be isolated once again.
All these transformations are physical changes, because in all
Video

of them, water is still water, even if it’s found in other states or

it’s mixed with other substances.
To explain these changes, scientists developed the corpuscular-
kinetic theory. According to this theory, pure substances such
as water are formed by tiny particles, and these particles are
specific to each type of pure substance.
However, this theory doesn’t explain how chemical changes
can occur. That is, changes where some substances are trans-
formed into others.
According to this theory, a chemical change would involve the
particles of a substance to magically transform into particles
of another substance. As an example, let’s look at one of the
most important chemical reactions in life: photosynthesis.
In photosynthesis, carbon dioxide and water transform into
sugar and oxygen. If we stood by the corpuscular-kinetic theory,
this would mean that carbon dioxide particles and water parti-
cles somehow transform into particles of completely different
substances.
Does this mean that any substance can be transformed into
another substance? Can we transform, say, iron into gold?
Surely we need to find a logical explanation to understand how
some substances transform into other substances.

8 smartngss.com

Physical Changes
a
Why do we say that the changes of state of water are physical
changes?

Icicles.
b
How does the corpuscular-kinetic theory explain the changes
of state of water?
Answer using your knowledge about the structure of matter.

Boiling water.

Chemical Changes

a
Why do we say that photosynthesis is a chemical change?

By means of the photosynthesis,

plants produce the sugar they feed
on thanks to the energy from sunlight.

b
In photosynthesis, which substances are the reactants and
which ones the products?
CARBON
• Water: Reactant / Product. DIOXIDE SUGAR
+ +
WATER OXYGEN
• Sugar: Reactant / Product.

• Carbon dioxide: Reactant / Product.

• Oxygen: Reactant / Product. The photosynthesis is a chemical

change.
c
Why can’t the corpuscular-kinetic theory explain the chemical
changes?

Frying an egg is a familiar example

of a chemical reaction.

Engage 9
 A GAME OF LETTERS AND CHEMICAL REACTIONS
Explore

You know that scientists say that matter is made of tiny particles
and that there are different substances because each substance
has a different type of particle.
Indeed, this model of matter allows us to explain any physical
change, such as changes in state.
However, this model does not explain chemical changes
satisfactorily.

How can particles of a substance transform into particles of a

different substance?

Strange as it may sound, there is an answer to this in the way

that we construct words in our language.

Game of Letters
The English language contains approximately 1,000,000 words.
However, words are built from a repertoire of only 26 letters.
Words are distinguished by the number of letters they contain
and the way these combine.

10 smartngss.com

a
Break down each of these words and build two different words
from all the letters.

Interactivity
L I B E R T I N E A T T R I B U T E

+ +

D I S S E N T R E F I N E D

+ +

S E C U R I T Y I N S U L T

+ +

b
Now try to build a word using all the letters of the two words
provided.

N A G + M A T E T I P + P A L A T E

S U R E + C I T Y C A N + M O R E

R A W + B U L K M I T T E N + D A R T S

c
Can you find any similarities between these game of words and
chemical changes?
Clue: think of the particles of substances as if they were words.

Explore 11
 In the same way as pure substances, we can play around with
words and transform them into new words which have completely
H
O different meanings.
H C
O
This is possible because words are made up of smaller parts: letters.
H
O H Likewise, if the particles that make up substances can undergo
chemical changes and be transformed into different substances,
H H
C then they must be also formed of smaller parts.
H
H
According to this idea, there are elementary particles that
correspond to letters. When combined, these “letters” generate
O O pure compound substances, whose particles correspond to
“words.”

Decomposing Water
Straddling the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, scientists discovered that some pure
substances could be broken down into other pure substances, and that some pure substances
could not be broken down in any manner.
For example, with the help of electricity, it is possible to decompose water into two different
substances: oxygen and hydrogen. Oxygen and hydrogen, meanwhile, can not be broken down.

a
WATER → HYDROGEN + OXYGEN
What conclusion can be drawn from the fact that water can
decompose into oxygen and hydrogen?
Clue: think in terms of the particles that form water and recall the
games of letters.

The process of decomposition of water using an electric

current is called water electrolysis.

The video in the digital version shows the process of water

Video

electrolysis.
Experimental procedure to electrolyze
water.
b
Describe what occurs at the tips of the two pins immersed in
water.

12 smartngss.com
c
What relationship is there between the volumes of hydrogen
and oxygen formed?

During electrolysis, water breaks down into two different

substances: hydrogen and oxygen. HYDROGEN OXYGEN

In other words, the particles of water have decomposed into

particles of hydrogen and oxygen.

d
Applying the same logic you applied to the game of letters, WATER
draw what you think occurred to the particles of water during
electrolysis.
Electrolysis device.
Take into account the observation you made of the volumes of oxygen
and hydrogen.

We know now that water can be decomposed into oxygen and

WATER
hydrogen by means of electrolysis.
Water particles are not unbreakable. They are composed of
three atoms, which are even smaller particles, of two different OXYGEN GAS
+
types: hydrogen and oxygen. HYDROGEN GAS
The electric current causes atoms to split. Then they rejoin to
form two different types of particles: hydrogen gas particles
and oxygen gas particles.
The animation in the digital version represent what we would
Atomic model of water electrolysis.
see if we had a microscope powerful enough to observe the
particles that make up substances.

e
Which of the two representations shows water?
Animation A / B.
Animations

f
What type of substance is presented in the other animation?
Explain your answer.

Explore 13
 Other Chemical Reactions
The model of letters and words allows us to understand the chemical reactions in which a
substance is broken down into other substances.
The model of letters and words helps us to understand chemical reactions in which two or
more substances combine to form two or more different substances.
a
Break down each word pair and build a new one using the letters.

L A U G H + C O N E G A L L O N + D E W M E T E R + P E A R
Interactivity

+ + +

D O U B T + R U L E C A B + L U R E L E A F + O A T S

+ + +

b
Applying the same logic as in the game of letters, infer how
many elementary particles (or atoms) of each type a methane
gas particle contains.
Interactivity

Hydrogen Oxygen Carbon

CARBON
OXYGEN WATER DIOXIDE

Hydrogen → Carbon → Hydrogen → 4 Carbon → 1

Oxygen → Oxygen → 4

c
Infer how many elementary particles of each type are contained
in a particle of acetic acid (found in vinegar).
Interactivity

Sodium Hydrogen Oxygen Carbon

SODIUM WATER SODIUM CARBON

BICARBONATE ACETATE DIOXIDE

Hydrogen → Carbon → Hydrogen → 5 Carbon → 3

Oxygen → Sodium → Oxygen → 5 Sodium → 1

14 smartngss.com
d
Deduce how many elementary particles of each type are
contained in one particle of sugar (glucose).

Interactivity
Hydrogen Oxygen Carbon

CARBON
DIOXIDE WATER GLUCOSE OXYGEN

Hydrogen → 12 Hydrogen →

Oxygen → 18 Oxygen →

Carbon → 6 Carbon →

Conclusion
According to the corpuscular-kinetic model that describes
physical changes in substances, matter is made up of particles.
However, to be able to explain chemical changes, we need
to extend this model and assume that there are two types of
particles:
• Elementary particles or atoms.
• Compound particles, such as the particles that make up
water. These are produced by elementary particles bind-
ing together stably.
According to this extended model, the compound particles of
a substance are always made of the same elementary par-
ticles in the same proportions.
Chemical changes are then described as the recombination
of elementary particles to form new compound particles.

This scientific model of the structure of matter is

called the atomic model. It allows us to predict
and explain physical and chemical changes at
a scale that is too small to be seen.

Explore 15
Explain

TWO TYPES OF SUBSTANCE

In chemical decomposition, a pure substance breaks down
into two or more different pure substances.

Pure substances are classified as elements or compounds,

Video

depending on whether they can be chemically decomposed.

The passage of electric current can be

• Those substances that can’t be decomposed by chemical
used to decompose a pure substance,
like water, into two different pure sub- means are called elements or simple substances.
stances: oxygen and hydrogen.
• Pure substances that can be broken down into simpler pure
substances are called compounds.

Elements

An element is a pure substance that cannot be

decomposed into other substances.

90 different elements occur naturally.

Copper, lead, carbon, gold, mercury, oxygen, hydrogen, iron,
chlorine, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, and nitrogen are just
some examples of elements.
Aluminum bars.
Elements can be obtained through the chemical decomposition
of compounds.

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Compounds

A compound is a pure substance that can be decomposed

into other substances.

The number of naturally occurring compounds is countless,

much larger than the number of elements.
Water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, urea, sodium bicarbonate,
sulfuric acid, glucose, sodium chloride, and butane are just some
examples of compounds.
Water is a compound that covers most
New compounds can be formed by chemically combining other of Earth’s surface.
substances in chemical synthesis and substitution reactions.

Compounds or Mixtures?
Compounds are pure substances that can be decomposed into other pure substances. Mixtures,
on the other hand, are also composed of pure substances.
How do compounds and mixtures differ?
1/8 OXYGEN
OXYGEN
1. The components of a mixture can be + 7/8 HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN
found in variable proportions, whereas the
components of a compound are always found

Table
in the same relative amounts.
2. The components in a mixture maintain OXYGEN 1/2 OXYGEN
their characteristic physical and chemical +
HYDROGEN
properties. In contrast, the pure substances 1/2 HYDROGEN

forming a compound cannot be identified

because the compound is the result of a Oxygen gas and hydrogen—in the form of gas—have
chemical change. different proportions in these two mixtures.

3. The components of a mixture can be

separated by means of physical separation
methods. The components of a compound
can only be separated by chemical means. 1/3 OXYGEN
2/3 HYDROGEN
WATER
Melting T. (Cº) Boiling T. (Cº)

Hydrogen -259 -253

1/3 OXYGEN
Oxygen -219 -183
WATER
2/3 HYDROGEN
Water 0 100

Oxygen and hydrogen are in equal proportions in

these two samples of water.

Explain 17
 THE ATOMIC MODEL
CORPUSCULAR-KINETIC MODEL The corpuscular-kinetic model offers an explanation of physical
changes in matter. However, it does not provide either an
explanation of chemical changes or an account of elements
and compounds.
WATER OXYGEN HYDROGEN
The atomic model provides an account of both physical and
ATOMIC MODEL chemical changes of matter. It is based on the existence of
particles which are smaller than the corpuscles described in
WATER the corpuscular-kinetic model.

OXYGEN According to the atomic model:

+
HYDROGEN • Matter is made up of atoms, which are invariable and
indivisible particles with tiny masses and volumes.
• There are as many types of atoms as there are distinct
elements.
Water electrolysis according to the two
models. • Each type of atom has specific physical and chemical
properties.
• Depending on their chemical properties, atoms can form
chemical bonds with one another and stable groupings
called molecules and network structures.

Atoms and Elements

According to the atomic model, matter is made
up of minute particles called atoms.
An element is a substance made up of
atoms of the same type.
The atoms of a given element are characterized
by having a specific mass and specific
properties.
The atoms present in elements can be found
in isolation or arranged forming molecules or
network structures:

Isolated Atoms Molecules Network Structures

In some elemental The molecules of elements The atoms of many solid

substances, the atoms do
not form bonds with each
other.
Since no bonds are formed,
these substances are usually
found in the gaseous state.
are stable arrangements
of identical atoms
chemically bound together.
The molecules of a given ele-
ment always have the same
number of atoms.
elements are arranged
and chemically bound
together, forming network
structures.
The number of atoms in a net-
work structure is variable.

18 smartngss.com
Combinations of Atoms and Compounds
The atoms of different Network Structures Molecules
elements can combine and
bond chemically in a regular
and stable manner to form
compounds.

A compound is the
stable bonding of atoms.
The bonds between the atoms
of a compound can only be
broken by chemical means.
There are two types of
compound, depending on
whether the atoms’ bonds
form molecules or network
structures:
The network structures of
compounds are formed
by the bonding of small
arrangements of different
atoms that repeat regularly
and indefinitely in space.
The minimum unit that makes
up the network structure of a
compound always has the same
arrangement of atoms.
The molecules of a
compound are stable
particles made of atoms.
The molecules of a compound
always have the same number
and type of atoms.

Chemical Reactions: The Rearrangement of Atoms

Using the atomic model, we can
explain chemical reactions—that is, the Oxygen
transformation of one or more substances,
called reactants, into one or more different

Animation
substances, called products.
Thus, in chemical reactions:
Methane
1. In reactants, the bonds that hold the
atoms of the molecules or network
structures together are broken.
2. Atoms rearrange and form different
bonds, thus forming the new molecules or
network structures—the products.

Chemical reactions are rearrangements of

atoms. Atoms are never created nor destroyed.
Carbon
Dioxide
Since atoms are neither created nor
destroyed during a chemical reaction, it
is obvious that the quantity of matter is
conserved. Water
The mass of the reactants is the same as
the mass of the products.

Explain 19
 Types of Chemical Reactions
There are three categories of reactions depending on how the
atoms in the reactants rearrange to form products:
Synthesis Reaction Decomposition Reaction Displacement Reaction

In a synthesis reaction, two In a decomposition reaction, In a displacement reaction,

or more reactants combine
to form one product.
one reactant breaks down
into two or more different
products.
two or more reactants com-
bine to form two or more
products.
This category includes the
numerous reactions which are
not synthesis or decomposition
reactions.

LIST OF ELEMENTS
How many types of atoms are there?
Since the existence of elementary substances
was understood, researchers all over the world
Magnesium (0.1%)
Silicon (0.1%) have joined efforts to try to identify them all.
Hydrogen (73.9%)
Nitrogen (0.1%)
Iron (0.1%) We know now that there exist around one
Neon (0.1%) hundred different chemical elements or, in
Carbon (0.5%) other words, types of atoms.

Helium (24%)
Oxygen (1%) Thus, all substances in the universe are formed
from the combination of approximately 100
different types of atoms.
The nine most abundant elements in the galaxy.
The atoms of an element have a mass that—
together with other physical and chemical
properties—sets them apart from the atoms
of other elements.

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Periodic Table of the Elements
The periodic table of the elements is an arrangement of the elements that compose
matter according to their physical and chemical properties.

Solid at 25 ºC
Gas at 25 ºC
Liquid at 25 ºC

Interactivity
Synthesized by
humans
Atomic Mass

Atomic Number

Symbol

Name

Atomic Number Atomic Mass Symbol Name

Each element is identified
by a number. The elements
on the table are arranged
by order of atomic number
into rows (left to right) and
columns (up and down).
The mass of atoms is minute and is
expressed as units of atomic mass (u),
which are also minute: 1 g corresponds to
1,660,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 u.
The symbol of an element
is a universal sign across all
languages. It consists of the
first two letters of the name
of the element in Latin.
Those elements humans have
known for centuries, such as
gold and lead, have common
names. Some of the names
refer to scientists relevant
to the history of science, as
is the case of Einsteinium or
Curium.

CHEMICAL FORMULA OF A COMPOUND

Just like elements have symbols, chemical
compounds have universally recognized The formula of a compound reflects the atomic
formulas. composition of the basic unit of the substance.
The formulas are a combination of the symbols
of the elements that make them up.

Compounds Forming Molecules Compounds Forming Network Structures

Animations

The formula of a molecular compound
shows the types of atom in a molecule of the
substance, along with the number of each type.
The chemical formula for water is H2O, which
indicates that each molecule of water consists of
two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen.
The formula of a network structure indicates the
number and types of atoms that make up the
basic unit of the repetitive pattern in the structure.
The chemical formula for salt, NaCl, indicates that
the basic unit that repeats in the network structure
consists of one atom of sodium (Na) and one atom
of chlorine (Cl).

Explain 21
Elaborate

THE MATERIALS AROUND YOU

Synthetic Materials
The clothes you wear, the books you read, the
computer you are using… many of the objects
around you are made of materials or substances
that cannot be found in nature.
Some of the most important synthetic materials
include the different types of substances that
we broadly call plastics. For example:
• PVC • Polyethylene

These materials are called artificial or • Polyester • Cellophane

synthetic materials. • Nylon • Rayon

Materials in Nature
All synthetic materials are based on materials
found in nature.

The materials that humans obtain from

nature are called raw materials.

Most raw materials are extracted as mixtures,

such as oil, wood, and milk. There are also
some that are extracted as pure substances—
for example, salt.
The pure substances found in raw materials
are classified into:
• Compounds, such as pyrite and water.
• Elements, such as gold or platinum.

The transformations of the substances found

in raw materials into synthetic materials are
examples of chemical change.
Raw materials of mineral origin are extracted from mines.

22 smartngss.com
Let’s Prepare a Presentation
There are many examples of synthetic substances with remarkable industrial or medical
importance.

In this activity, you should look for information about one of these synthetic substances and
prepare a presentation to explain it to the rest of your classmates.

Your presentation should only include 5 slides. Each slide should address the following aspects
in a summarized way:
1. How the synthetic material is produced,
from what raw materials and by what pro-
cesses.
2. What is the atomic structure of the mate-
rial and what are its main physical and
chemical properties.
3. How the properties of the substance
contribute to performing the functions for
which it is used.
4. What social needs the synthetic material
satisfies.
5. How the manufacture and use of this
synthetic material affects the environment
and society.

The following are recommendations for this task:

Looking up and selecting information
• Look up information from at least two different sources and cite them correctly in the
bibliography.
• Determine whether the information you gathered is relevant to respond to the issues
raised in each slide of the presentation, and then use it for that purpose.
Evaluating the information gathered
• Analyze the credibility and rigor of the sources of information (is the author or the insti-
tution that publishes this information reliable?)
• Be aware of possible biases in the sources of information (could the author be inter-
ested in communicating some aspects and hiding others?)
Note: include a final slide in your presentation with the bibliography you checked.

Rubric
While you work on your task, you can look at a rubric in the
digital version to evaluate the quality of your project.

Elaborate 23
 Two Types of Substance Compounds
1. CHEMICAL REACTIONS 4. ELEMENTS OR COMPOUNDS?
OF DECOMPOSITION Classify each of the following substances as a com-
Exercises

Indicate which of the following are decomposi- pound or an element.

tion reactions. Look up information if necessary.
□
Hydrogen peroxide → Water + Oxygen
□
Sodium + Chlorine → Table salt
□
Copper + Silver nitrate → Silver + Copper
nitrate
□
Potassium chloride → Chlorine + Potassium
□
Glucose + Oxygen→ Water + Carbon dioxide
□
Water → Hydrogen + Oxygen Helium Quartz
□
Hydrogen + Nitrogen→ Ammonia
□
Sulfur trioxide → Sulfur dioxide + Oxygen

2. SUBSTANCES DECOMPOSING
Observe the following decomposition reactions:
1. 
Sodium chlorate → Salt + Oxygen
Salt → Sodium + Chlorine
2. 
Water Sodium bicarbonate
Select the substances which you are sure are com-
pounds, on the basis of the reactions shown above.
□
Salt □ Sodium □
Sodium chlorate
□
Oxygen □ 
Chlorine

3. TRUE OR FALSE?
Indicate whether each of the following statements
about elements and compounds is true or false.
Sodium chloride (salt) Sucrose
○t ○f The substances that a compound

decomposes into are always other
compounds.
○t ○f Elements are pure substances that

become other elements when they
decompose.
○t ○f The substances that a compound de-

composes into are always elements.
○t ○f Compounds are substances that
 Gold Sulfur

can be decomposed into different

substances.
○t ○f Any substance that cannot be de-

composed into other substances is
an element.
○t ○f Pure substances can be classified

into elements and compounds.
○t ○f Elementary substances or elements
 Iron oxide Diamond
do not take part in chemical changes.

24 smartngss.com
Compounds or Mixtures? The Atomic Model
5. FACTS ABOUT COMPOUNDS 7. FACTS ABOUT THE ATOMIC THEORY
AND MIXTURES Complete the following statements about the atomic
theory.
Indicate whether each of the following statements
about mixtures and compounds is true or false. • The most basic particles of matter are .
○t ○f By means of chemical reactions,
 • Not all atoms are identical. The number of
other pure substances can be ob- atom types is equal to the number of .
tained from a compound. • Each atom type is characterized by specific
○t ○f Water can be decomposed into dif-
 physical and chemical .
ferent proportions of hydrogen and
• By means of , elementary particles of
oxygen.
matter form stable arrangements.
○t ○f By means of separation methods,

various pure substances can be ob- Atoms and Elements
tained from a mixture.
8. FREE ATOMS, MOLECULES,
○t ○f The physical and chemical proper-

AND NETWORKS
ties of a compound are the same
as the physical and chemical prop- Look up information about the elements below, and
erties of the pure substances that indicate whether their atoms are arranged into mol-
make up the compound. ecules, network structures, or not arranged at all.

○t ○f Being part of a mixture does not al-

 Atoms / Molecules / Network structures
ter the physical or chemical proper- 1. Iron: 5. Xenon:
ties of the pure substances in the
mixture. 2. Magnesium: 6. Platinum:
3. Chlorine: 7. Nitrogen:
6. NITROGEN AND HYDROGEN
4. Hydrogen: 8. Neon:
Nitrogen and hydrogen are two elementary substances.
What happens when we mix these substances?
9. FACTS ABOUT THE ATOMIC
• These two gases do not react chemically un-
STRUCTURE OF ELEMENTS
der ambient conditions of temperature and
pressure. Indicate whether each of the following statements
is true or false:
• Under conditions of high temperature and
high pressure, a chemical reaction is pro- ○t ○f In some elements, such as metals,

duced and a new gas is formed: ammonia. a variable number of atoms bond
with one another to form network
a. Indicate the conditions under which a mixture is structures.
produced and the condition under which a compound
is produced:
○t ○f Some elements, such as hydrogen

and oxygen, are made up of mol-
• At ambient temperature and pressure, nitro- ecules.
gen gas and hydrogen gas form a mixture / a ○t ○f In elements, the atoms do not form

compound. bonds with one another.
• At high temperature and pressure, nitrogen ○t ○f In elements, different atom types

gas and hydrogen gas form a mixture / a are formed into arrangements by
compound. means of chemical bonds.
We need three liters of hydrogen and one liter of ○t ○f The elements whose atoms do not

nitrogen to synthesize two liters of ammonia gas form bonds with one another are
under high temperature and pressure. in the gaseous state at room tem-
perature.
b. How many liters of hydrogen and nitrogen are
needed to synthesize 32 liters of ammonia? ○t ○f The molecules of the same element

can be made up of different number
• L of hydrogen. • L of nitrogen.
of bound atoms.

Exercises 25
 Combinations of Atoms and 11. MOLECULES OR ATOM NETWORKS
Compounds Look up information about each of these compounds
and indicate whether its atoms are organized into
10. SPHERE-AND-BAR MODELS molecules or network structures.
Sphere-and-bar models allow us to represent the
1. Glucose: It forms network structures / It forms
structure of molecules and atom networks.
molecules
2. Carbon dioxide: It forms network structures / It
forms molecules
3. Silicon dioxide (silica): It forms network
structures / It forms molecules
4. Methane: It forms network structures / It forms
molecules
5. Sodium chloride (salt): It forms network
structures / It forms molecules
6. Calcium carbonate: It forms network structures
/ It forms molecules
7. Acetic acid (vinegar): It forms network
structures / It forms molecules
8. Water: It forms network structures / It forms
Sphere-and-bar representations of the vinegar molecule (A) and the molecules
methane molecule (B).
12. FACTS ABOUT THE ATOMIC
a. Examine the model of molecules and complete STRUCTURE OF COMPOUNDS
the following statements correctly: Indicate whether the following statements are true
• The bars represent atoms / bonds between or false.
atoms. ○t ○f In network structures, the atoms

are placed close to one another,
• The spheres represent atoms / bonds between but do not form bonds.
atoms.
○t ○f The total number of atoms in the

b. How many atoms do these molecules have? How network structures of the same com-
many different types of atoms are in each of these pound varies, but the proportion of
molecules? each type is always the same.

• Molecule A is made up of a total of ○t ○f In some compounds, the atoms do


atoms of different types. not form chemical bonds with other
atoms.
• Molecule B is made up of a total of
atoms of different types.
○t ○f The molecules of compounds are

formed by less than five atoms.
○t ○f It is not possible to find two mole-

cules of the same compound made
up of different combination of atoms.
13. ELEMENTS OR COMPOUNDS?
Classify these images according to whether they correspond to atomic models of elements or of compounds.

26 smartngss.com
14. NETWORK STRUCTURES
Classify these images according to whether they correspond to atomic models of molecules, network struc-
tures, or free atoms.

Chemical Reactions: The a. Count the molecules in the reactants and in

the products:
Rearrangement of Atoms
• Number of molecules in the reactants:
15. A STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH TO
• Number of molecules in the products:
CHEMICAL CHANGE
Put the following sentences in the correct order to b. Now count the number of atoms of each type in
build a coherent explanation of chemical change the reactants and in the products:
according to the atomic theory. Hydrogen atoms (in blue)
A. The molecules or network structures of the • Number of atoms in the reactants:
reactants come into contact.
• Number of atoms in the products:
B. The bonds holding the atoms together in the
reactants break. Oxygen atoms (in red)
C. The atoms form new bonds, giving rise to • Number of atoms in the reactants:
the molecules or network structures of the • Number of atoms in the products:
products.
c. Which of the following sentences reflects what
occurs in this chemical reaction, as well as in all
16. CHEMICAL CHANGE AND ATOMS other chemical reactions?
BALANCE WATER
The illustration
○
The number of atoms of each type is the
same in the reactants as it is in the products.
represents the
decomposition OXYGEN GAS ○
The number of molecules in the reactants is
of water into + the same as the number of molecules in the
HYDROGEN GAS
oxygen and products.
hydrogen. ○
The total number of atoms is the same in
the reactants and in the products, but their
proportions vary.

Exercises 27
 Periodic Table of the Elements
17. FROM THE SYMBOL TO THE NAME
The symbols for some of the elements happen to
be made by the first letter of its name in English,
often with a second letter added.
What elements do the symbols below correspond to?
Interactivity
Chemical Formula of a Compound
20. FORMULAS AND MOLECULES
Each of the following formulas describes a molecule.
Examine each formula and indicate how many atoms
of each element are contained in the molecule.
a. CO2 (Carbon dioxide)

Use the periodic table in the digital version to

check your answers. • carbon atoms

1. Co: 5. B: • oxygen atoms

2. Li: 6. Ni: b. N2O5 (Dinitrogen pentoxide)

3. Ne: 7. Pt: • nitrogen atoms

4. Ti: 8. Si: • oxygen atoms

c. C4H10 (Butane)
18. ELEMENTS AND SYMBOLS
The symbols for some of the elements are made • carbon atoms
from the the first letter of its name in English, • hydrogen atoms
often with a second letter added.
d. O3 (Ozone)
Enter the symbols for the following elements:
Interactivity

Use the periodic table in the digital version to • oxygen atoms

check your answers. Remember that the first letter e. H3PO4 (Phosphoric acid)
is always a capital letter.
• hydrogen atoms
1. Carbon: 5. Calcium:
• phosphorus atoms
2. Hydrogen: 6. Helium:
• oxygen atoms
3. Oxygen: 7. Fluorine:
4. Nitrogen: 8. Aluminum: 21. FORMULAS AND NETWORK
STRUCTURES
19. LATIN AND ELEMENTS Each of the following formulas describes a network
The symbols for elements are derived from their structure. In each case, enter the number of each
names in Latin. atom type that makes up its basic repeating structure.
What elements do the following names in Latin a. CaCl2 (Calcium chloride)
refer to?
Interactivity

• calcium atoms
Look up the symbol of the element first and then
find its name in English in the periodic table of the • chlorine atoms
digital version.
b. SiO2 (Silicon dioxide)
1. Stannum: 4. Ferrum: • silicon atoms
2. Cuprum: 5. Natrium: • oxygen atoms

3. Aurum: 6. Argentum: c. Fe2O3 (Iron (III) oxide)

• iron atoms
Elements 1–3 have single-letter symbols, while
elements 4–6 have two-letter symbols. • oxygen atoms
d. H3PO4 (Phosphoric acid)
• hydrogen atoms
• phosphorus atoms
• oxygen atoms

28 smartngss.com
22. ATOMIC MASSES
a. Look up the periodic table and enter the symbol and mass for each of the following atom types:
Write your answers correct to one decimal place, where necessary.
• The symbol of hydrogen is H. Its atoms have a mass of 1 u.
• The symbol of carbon is . Its atoms have a mass of u.
• The symbol of oxygen is . Its atoms have a mass of u.
• The symbol of phosphorus is . Its atoms have a mass of u.

b. Using the previous data, calculate the mass of a molecule of each of the following compounds:
Write your answers correct to one decimal place, where necessary.
• A molecule of CO2 has a mass of u.
• A molecule of CH4 has a mass of u.
• A molecule of H2CO3 has a mass of u.
• A molecule of H3PO4 has a mass of u.

Solid at 25 ºC
Gas at 25 ºC
Liquid at 25 ºC
Synthesized by humans

Exercises 29
 Learn Science
by Doing Science
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