Atoms

PHOTO JOURNAL

The first section of Honors Chem was about atoms. Our first lab experiment was about flame color, and how it related to how electrons moved within the atom. This red flame was caused by putting lithium into the flame.

This color flame was caused by copper sulfate

This photo shows the experiment when we heated epsom salts and measured the amount of water that evaporated.

This is a photo of steel wool that we lit on fire with a 9-volt battery and weighed to find that it weighed more than before we lit it on fire.

LEARNING REFLECTION

In this section on Honors Chemistry, we learned about the basics of atoms. We learned the difference between moles and atoms, and what atoms are made of. For me, the mole-gram conversions were fairly easy, except that I kept using the atomic number rather than the weight accidentally, and coming up with wildly incorrect numbers. I've always liked math, and so the conversions were kinda fun, actually. The one thing that took me a little longer to get through my head was the chart about numbers of electrons, protons, and neutrons. Thankfully I eventually figured out the system, and now it's not as difficult anymore.