Understanding Chemical Reactions

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Understanding Chemical Reactions

DRIVING QUESTION: How can we produce better foods?

Every food we eat is a product of chemical reactions. Chemical reactions cause seeds to germinate, all plant parts to form, animals to grow and reproduce, and eggs to form. They determine how long foods remain fresh and how safe they are. The chemical reactions that take place in our foods determine what nutrients are in different foods and how long nutrients remain available in the foods. They are responsible for how our foods taste. Food chemistry deals with how foods change when they are cooked or preserved and how we can enhance or prevent the changes from happening. Good chefs understand the chemistry behind the techniques they use to produce their own recipes. Make chemistry more relative to students by incorporating examples from foods or cooking techniques when discussing chemical reactions.

Investigation 4 Physical Properties of Materials: How do we design materials for a specific function?

Students identify properties of different states of matter and use this to better produce materials and foods.

Investigation 5 Chemical Quantities: Why do we quantify matter in different ways?

Students use their knowledge of molar and mass relationships to explain how to quantify different types of matter and to apply these calculations to producing better foods.

Investigation 6 Chemical Reactions: How is energy obtained from chemical reactions?

Students apply this knowledge while explaining chemical reactions in food and how to produce better foods.

Investigation 7 Stoichiometry: What can make a recipe fail?

Students apply knowledge of limiting and excess reagents to explain why a recipe fails. They also explain limiting and excess ingredients in foods.

Investigation 8 Thermochemistry: Why do you get hot when you exercise?

Students use knowledge of system enthalpy to explain why we get hot when we exercise. They further apply this to enthalpy of foods and how to change it.

Unit Standards

What is the NGSS & 3 Dimensional Science Learning and Why is it Important?

Science Practices - Disciplinary Core Ideas - Crosscutting Concepts

Investigation 4 Physical Properties of Materials

HS-PS1-3: Electrical Forces and Bulk Scale Structure

Plan and conduct an investigation to gather evidence to compare the structure of substances at the bulk scale to infer the strength of electrical forces between particles. (Patterns)

Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on understanding the strengths of forces between particles, not on naming specific intermolecular forces (such as dipole-dipole). Examples of particles could include ions, atoms, molecules, and networked materials (such as graphite). Examples of bulk properties of substances could include the melting point and boiling point, vapor pressure, and surface tension.

Boundary Statement: Assessment does not include Raoult’s law calculations of vapor pressure.

HS-PS2-4: Gravitational and Electrostatic Forces Between Objects

Use mathematical representations of Newton’s Law of Gravitation and Coulomb’s Law to describe and predict the gravitational and electrostatic forces between objects. (Patterns)

Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on both quantitative and conceptual descriptions of gravitational and electric fields.

Boundary Statement: Assessment is limited to systems with two objects.

HS-PS3-5: Energy Change Due to Interacting Fields

Develop and use a model of two objects interacting through electric or magnetic fields to illustrate the forces between objects and the changes in energy of the objects due to the interaction. (Cause and Effect)

Clarification Statement: Examples of models could include drawings, diagrams, and texts, such as drawings of what happens when two charges of opposite polarity are near each other.

Boundary Statement: Assessment is limited to systems containing two objects.

Investigation 5 Chemical Quantities

HS-PS1-7: Conservation of Atoms in Chemical Reactions

Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction. (Energy and Matter)

Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on using mathematical ideas to communicate the proportional relationships between masses of atoms in the reactants and the products, and the translation of these relationships to the macroscopic scale using the mole as the conversion from the atomic to the macroscopic scale. Emphasis is on assessing students’ use of mathematical thinking and not on memorization and rote application of problem-solving techniques

Boundary Statement: Assessment does not include complex chemical reactions.

Investigation 6 Chemical Reactions

HS-PS1-2: Simple Chemical Reactions

Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.

Clarification Statement: Examples of chemical reactions could include the reaction of sodium and chlorine, of carbon and oxygen, or of carbon and hydrogen.

Boundary Statement: Assessment is limited to chemical reactions involving main group elements and combustion reactions.

HS-PS1-4: Total Bond Energy Change in Chemical Reactions

Develop a model to illustrate that the release or absorption of energy from a chemical reaction system depends upon the changes in total bond energy. (Energy and Matter)

Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the idea that a chemical reaction is a system that affects the energy change. Examples of models could include molecular-level drawings and diagrams of reactions, graphs showing the relative energies of reactants and products, and representations showing energy is conserved.

Boundary Statement: Assessment does not include calculating the total bond energy changes during a chemical reaction from the bond energies of reactants and products.

Investigation 7 Stoichiometry

HS-PS1-7: Conservation of Atoms in Chemical Reactions

Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction. (Energy and Matter)

Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on using mathematical ideas to communicate the proportional relationships between masses of atoms in the reactants and the products, and the translation of these relationships to the macroscopic scale using the mole as the conversion from the atomic to the macroscopic scale. Emphasis is on assessing students’ use of mathematical thinking and not on memorization and rote application of problem-solving techniques

Boundary Statement: Assessment does not include complex chemical reactions.

Investigation 8 Thermochemistry

HS-PS1-5: Collision Theory and Rates of Reaction

Apply scientific principles and evidence to provide an explanation about the effects of changing the temperature or concentration of the reacting particles on the rate at which a reaction occurs. (Patterns)

Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on student reasoning that focuses on the number and energy of collisions between molecules.

Boundary Statement: Assessment is limited to simple reactions in which there are only two reactants; evidence from temperature, concentration, and rate data; and qualitative relationships between rate and temperature.

Investigation Overviews

DRIVING QUESTION: How can we produce better foods?

Investigation 4 Physical Properties of Materials: How do we design materials for a specific function?

Introduce this investigation with a discussion about how students think materials are designed for a specific purpose. Students explore the physical properties of solids, liquids, and gases (Experience 1) and the relationship between temperature and phase changes of materials (Experience 2). They determine compound types and the properties of ionic and molecular compounds (Experience 3). They explore specific properties of metal materials (Experience 4). They investigate hydrogen bonding and how structure affects properties of a solid (Experience 5). Finally, students explore properties of solutions, focusing on solubility and temperature (Experience 6).

Investigation 5 Chemical Quantities: Why do we quantify matter in different ways?

Begin this investigation by introducing the concept of quantitative units, specifically the dozen. Then lead students through the content related to defining and clarifying the mole (Experience 1). After finding the molar mass of compounds, students investigate molar relationships mass, volume, and density (Experience 2). They use what they learn about the mole to calculate percent composition and empirical formulas (Experience 3). Students then relate the mole to the concentration of solutes in a solution (Experience 4).

Investigation 6 Chemical Reactions: How is energy obtained from chemical reactions?

Introduce this investigation by asking students what the photo shows. Discuss what they know about simple chemical reactions. Then discuss what students know about chemical reactions in everyday forms of transportation, such as cars, and relate that to the chemical reactions of a spacecraft being launched. Students begin this topic by investigating what causes reactions (Experience 1). They further their learning by writing chemical equations for different types of reactions (Experience 2). Finally, they evaluate the formation of a precipitate (Experience 3).

Investigation 7 Stoichiometry: What can make a recipe fail?

Introduce this investigation with the phenomenon of a recipe. For a recipe to be successful, ingredients must be added in the correct proportions to each other. If you know how much of one ingredient you have, you can determine how much you need of others using conversion factors (Experience 1). A balanced chemical equation is a type of recipe, and the act of balancing reactants and products accounts for conservation of mass. A balanced equation tells us how to calculate the amount of reactant needed or to predict the amount of product, using unit conversions and mole ratios (Experience 2). If the proportions of products are not exact, one reactant will run out before the other, thereby limiting the amount of product formed (Experience 3). In addition, all reactions in the real world involve error, which will usually result in a yield of less than 100%.

Investigation 8 Thermochemistry: Why do you get hot when you exercise?

Introduce this investigation by asking students why they feel so warm when they exercise. Everyone has felt their body temperature increase when they exert themselves. This can prompt students to wonder where that energy comes from and what kinds of chemical processes produce it. Students begin this topic by investigating heat in systems and surroundings (Experience 1). They further their learning by exploring heat summation (Experience 2). Finally, they explain energy in evaporation (Experience 3).

Local Colorado Phenomenon & Career Connections

Local Colorado Phenomena Connections

To engage students in chemical reactions using local Colorado phenomena, consider these examples:

Mining and Mineral Extraction: Explore the chemical reactions involved in the extraction of valuable metals from Colorado's rich mineral deposits, such as gold and molybdenum.

Hot Springs: Investigate the chemical reactions that occur in Colorado's geothermal hot springs, focusing on the formation of mineral deposits and the role of dissolved gases.

Wildfires: Discuss the chemical reactions of combustion in wildfires, a relevant topic given Colorado's susceptibility to forest fires. Analyze the effects of different materials on reaction rates and byproducts.

Acid Mine Drainage: Study the chemical reactions that lead to acid mine drainage in abandoned mines, affecting water quality in Colorado's rivers and streams.

Weathering of Rocks: Examine the chemical weathering processes that shape Colorado's landscapes, including the role of carbonic acid in dissolving limestone and other minerals.

These examples can help students connect chemistry concepts to real-world applications and environmental issues in their state.

Using SchoolAI, Gemini, ChatGPT to find local Colorado Phenomena or Career Connections

Use the following prompt, adjust accordingly. "I am a middle school science teacher looking for a local Colorado phenomena to address NGSS standard (enter standard you are looking for... example MS-PS1-4)"

Using SchoolAI

1) Navigate to Assistants

2) Select Curriculum Coach

3) Use the prompt above

Career Connections

Connecting what students are learning to careers not only deepens their engagement in school but also helps them make more informed choices about their future. Browse the following related career profiles to discover what scientists really do on the job and what it takes to prepare for these careers. For additional profiles visit your Year at a Glance Page.

SAVVAS Career Connections

To connect your students with Colorado-based career opportunities related to understanding chemical reactions, consider these potential pathways and resources:

Local Universities and Colleges: Reach out to chemistry departments at institutions like the University of Colorado Boulder or Colorado State University. They often have outreach programs and may facilitate connections with researchers and professors who can speak about careers in chemistry.

Chemical Companies: Colorado houses several companies in the chemical industry. Explore partnerships or guest speaker opportunities with companies like Ball Aerospace or Agilent Technologies, which have operations in the state.

Professional Organizations: Engage with local chapters of professional organizations such as the American Chemical Society (ACS), which often host events and networking opportunities for students and educators.

STEM Outreach Programs: Look into programs such as those offered by the Colorado School of Mines, which may have initiatives aimed at connecting high school students with STEM careers.

Government and Research Labs: Consider arranging visits or speaking sessions with professionals from government labs, like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, CO, where chemistry plays a significant role in research.

These connections can provide valuable insights into real-world applications of chemistry and inspire students to pursue careers in the field.

Hands On, Minds On Connections

Hands-On Labs / Lab Safety

PASCO

Green Chemistry - Beyond Benign

St Vrain Science Center

TedEd Video

What is Fire?

Simulations

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GIZMOS

Gizmos in Science

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