Grade 9 Science Chemistry Unit

This unit should come after the electricity unit! We explore the structure of the atom. Since students have a good understanding of electrical interactions, they are able to predict and explain the results of famous historical experiments. We introduce atomic emission spectra and combine that with electrical interactions to explain the electron structure of the atom, the properties of elements, and stability. It's all electrical!

Next we introduce chemical bonding to reduce the energy of a system, cover simple molecules, the particle theory of matter, and classifications of matter. The unit wraps up with chemical change, all the while harkening back to electrical ideas. It is helpful if you cover static electricity first!

Learn more:

• What is Dissolving?

• The Story of Bonding

A3: Zoom into a piece of aluminum to see its constituent particles.

B3: Watch as a negatively charged object is brought near a cathode ray tube.

B1: The thermal spectrum from a hot object.

B2: The emission spectra from gases.

Skill: how to write and interpret atomic notation.

Skill: How to draw a Bohr diagram for Fluorine.

Skill: How to draw a Bohr diagram for Calcium

A1: The idea of Stability

A1: Model of atom = track + ball bearing. Exploring the idea of reactivity and stability.

A7: A simulation of the ionic bonding process

A8: Sodium and chlorine ions interact and organize themselves into a solid.

Describing the volume experiment using a series of particle pictures.

A simulation of NaCl dissolving in water.

Three gases are produced and tested. Name that gas!

Experimenting with carbon dioxide gas.