So much to learn

On Monday we finished our lab. We tested the metal Lead. Lead was a lot thicker than all the other metals we have tested so far in this lab. The piece of lead almost felt like a piece of chewing gum. It was very malleable but not as shiny as copper.  After we had tested all the metals we found that magnesium was the most reactive. It reacted with every chemical except itself. Without testing the metals you could have figured out that magnesium was the most reactive by looking at the periodic table.

On Tuesday we learned about ionic and chemical bonding.  We learned how to do Lewis dot structures with ionic and covalent bonds. There are two types of covalent bonds, polar and non-polar. Polar is when there is an unequal sharing of electrons but non- polar is when electrons are shared equally. I thought the Lewis dot structures were kind of challenging at first but the more I practiced it the more it became easier. When doing a Lewis dot structure for an atom you put the element symbol and dots around the symbol to represent the number of valence electrons. When doing an ion it is the same thing accept you would add brackets around the symbol and then at the top put its charge.  

On Wednesday we learned about balancing chemical equations. To balance chemical equations it is almost like solving a puzzle. First to make it easier write down the number of each element you have on each side of the equation. It is almost like laying out puzzle pieces when completing a puzzle. Then play around with different numbers until both sides of the equation is balanced. When we first learned this I didn't know what I was doing but with more practice I understood how to balance the equations allot better. 

On Thursday to see if we were getting the intense chemistry topics we have been learning this week, we took a pop quiz. Some of the the material on the quiz I thought I knew well, but looking at my results I didn't. I think I can improve on when I have a question or when I am confused about a topic, review it and ask for help. After we finished the quiz we started a new lab called, types of chemical reactions. We used this lab to teach us all about how to classify chemical reactions. With a Bunsen burner we burned copper and magnesium. Copper wasn't that exciting it just turned black, but magnesium was like a light show. It was so bright we were told not to look at it directly. Both reactions were synthesis reactions. Do you know what a synthesis reaction is? A synthesis reaction is when two simple things turn into something more complex. It helps to think of photosynthesis.  

On Friday we retook the pop quiz. After  retaking it I can definitely say I understand the topics allot better. Then after that we tested powdered copper. To test it we put it in a test tube and put it over the Bunsen burner. Before it was a blue green powder but after, it turned black. Another thing that happened is it produced carbon dioxide. To prove this, we put  a burning stick in the tube and as soon as the flame hit the inside, it went out. This week I can definitely say I have learned from my mistakes! This link is if you are like me and balancing equations is hard for you. https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/physical-processes/stoichiometry/v/balancing-chemical-equations