Download Instructor`s Notes Atomic Tiles: Play Your Way from Atoms to

Instructor’s Notes
Atomic Tiles: Play Your Way from Atoms to Molecules
Relevant California State 5th Grade Standards
1a. Students know that during chemical reactions the atoms in the reactants rearrange to form
products with different properties.
1b. Students know all matter is made of atoms, which may combine to form molecules.
1d. Students know that each element is made of one kind of atom and that the elements are
organized in the periodic table by their chemical properties.
1g. Students know properties of solid, liquid, and gaseous substances, such as sugar (C6H12O6),
water (H2O), helium (He), oxygen (O2), nitrogen (N2), and carbon dioxide (CO2).
1h. Students know living organisms and most materials are composed of just a few elements.
Relevant California State 8th Grade Standards
3a. Students know the structure of the atom and know it is composed of protons, neutrons, and
electrons.
3b. Students know that compounds are formed by combining two or more different elements and
that compounds have properties that are different from their constituent elements.
5a. Students know reactant atoms and molecules interact to form products with
different chemical properties.
5b. Students know the idea of atoms explains the conservation of matter: In
chemical reactions the number of atoms stays the same no matter how they are arranged, so their
total mass stays the same
6a. Students know that carbon, because of its ability to combine in many ways with itself and
other elements, has a central role in the chemistry of living organisms.
6b. Students know that living organisms are made of molecules consisting largely of carbon,
hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur.
5f. Students know how to use the periodic table to identify elements in simple compounds.
6a. Students know that carbon, because of its ability to combine in many ways
with itself and other elements, has a central role in the chemistry of living
organisms.
6b. Students know that living organisms are made of molecules consisting largely
of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur.
Relevant California State 9-12 Chemistry Standards
1d Students know how to use the periodic table to determine the number of electrons available
for bonding.
1g Students know how to relate the position of an element in the periodic table to its quantum
electron configuration and to its reactivity with other elements in the table.
2a Students know atoms combine to form molecules by sharing electrons to form covalent bonds.
2b Students know chemical bonds between atoms in molecules such as H2, CH4, NH3, H2CCH2,
N2, Cl2, and many large biological molecules are covalent.
2e Students know how to draw Lewis dot structures.
3a Students know how to describe chemical reactions by writing balanced
equations.
3d Students know how to determine the molar mass of a molecule from its chemical formula and
Bush, Neff, Berber
CCSP Summer Institute 2009
Atoms, Molecules & the Periodic Table
Copyright 2009
a table of atomic masses.
10b Students know the bonding characteristics of carbon that result in the formation of a large
variety of structures ranging from simple hydrocarbons to complex polymers and biological
molecules.
10e Students know how to identify the functional groups that form the basis of alcohols, ketones,
ethers, amines, esters, aldehydes, and organic acids.
Background:
Atoms are nature’s building blocks. Everything around you, from the shoes on your feet to the
air in this room, is made of atoms. In this activity we are going to explore how atoms come
together to form molecules. To understand how atoms form bonds we have to understand a little
bit about the structure of atoms. An atom has a dense inner core called the Nucleus that contains
protons and neutrons. It has a squishy outer area that contains electrons called an Electron
Cloud. Most chemical properties of atoms, including how atoms bond to one anther, are the
result of the outermost electrons known as the Valence Electrons. Atomic tiles depict valence
electrons as open or closed circles. Open Circles are electrons that are shared to form bonds.
Closed Circles are electrons that are not shared.
Valence Electrons:
• Outermost electrons of an atom.
• Play a role in forming bonds.
• Determine chemical properties.
• Open and Closed on Atomic Tiles.
Core Electrons:
• Do not play role in bonding.
• Not shown on Atomic Tiles.
In this series of activities, we are going to explore covalent bonding. Covalent bonds are formed
when atoms share valence electrons. Shared valence electrons count towards filling the valence
shell for both atoms participating in the bond. It turns out that having a filled valence shell with
8 electrons is particularly stable. This is known as the octet rule and it helps chemists predict
how certain atoms and molecules will react.
Materials:
Atomic Tiles:
• Octet Game Rules
• Atomic Tile Set
Bush, Neff, Berber
CCSP Summer Institute 2009
Atoms, Molecules & the Periodic Table
Copyright 2009