Matter and Change

Master Document (with links to files)

My favorite band, describing the difference between an element and a compound.

One example of a chemical reaction (specifically, decomposition).  Notice the signs of a chemical reaction (color change–indicating formation of new compounds, and energy change–heat!).  If you missed this in class, you missed out on the very distinct smell of burning sugar!

Two elements (Iron–Fe, and Sulfur–S) are physically combined.  At this point, they are simply a mixture, meaning they could still be separated (perhaps by using a magnet to remove the iron, but there are other ways).  However, once sufficient energy is added, a chemical reaction takes place and chemically bonds the two elements together into iron sulfide (FeS).  This new compound has entirely different physical and chemical properties.  For example, it is not magnetic and has a different color.  Take home message:  Elements combine to form compounds with a new chemical “identity”