Download A New Language

Coord. Science
Name:
“ A New Language”
Date:
/
/
Period:
Purpose: The goal of this lesson is to give you practice making sense of some of the “language” of
chemistry, and translating chemical names and formulas. Look at each vial and fill in the data in
the following table.
Name
Chemical Formula
Description
Vial 1
Vial 2
Copper nitrate
Vial 3
Small light-blue crystals
Vial 4
NaNO3(s)
Vial 5
Vial 6
Vial 7
Vial 8
Vial 9
Nitric acid
Vial 10
Fine brown powder
NaOH(aq)
Vial 11
Vial 12
Vial 13
Clear colorless liquid
Vial 14
Vial 15
Zinc sulfate
Vial 16
Vial 17
Cu(NO3)2(aq)
Vial 18
Answer the Following Questions:
1. Examine the contents of the vials and their labels. Write down at least six patterns you
notice. Example: Every substance with the word sodium on it also has the symbol Na.
2. The following symbols represent elements. Identify each element:
a. Cu
b. H
c. Zn
3. How would you translate the following words into chemical symbols?
a. Sulfate
b. Nitrate
c. hydroxide
4. Compounds are substances that are made up of more than one element. On your data table,
place a “C” next to the number of each vial that contains a compound.
5. What do you think g, l, and s in parentheses stand for?
6. How would you write the chemical formula for ice?
7. What do all the substances labeled (aq) have in common?
8. Get vial 18 from your instructor. Substances from two of the vials have been mixed together
in vial 18. Figure out the chemical formulas for the two substances.
Putting it Together:
9. Imagine you are in charge of organizing a chemistry stock room. It’s your job to figure out
where to store the substances in vials 1 through 17. How would you organize them? Which
things would you group together?
Homework: Use your data table from today’s activity to answer the following questions.
1. How many elements are represented by the chemical formula for sodium nitrate, NaNO3?
Name them.
2. What is the difference between CuSO4(s) and CuSO4(aq)?
3. If table salt, NaCl(s), is dissolved in water, H2O(l), how would you write the chemical formula
for the resulting salt water solution?
4. If the simple sugar, glucose, C6H12O6(s), is dissolved with water, H2O(l), how would you write
the chemical formula for the resulting sugar water solution?