Student Unit M1
Small, Smaller, Smallest
Unit M1 Focus Words
particle
noun – a small piece of matter (often an atom or molecule)
What particle is central to the atomic bomb? How do you know?
element
noun – a substance that cannot be separated chemically into simpler substances
How many elements on the periodic table can you name?
atom
noun – the smallest particle of an element
Which atoms combine to form water?
molecule
noun – a group of atoms linked together to form the smallest particle of a compound
A molecule of DNA has millions of atoms. Can you think of a molecule comprised of only two atoms?
compound
noun – a substance made of definite proportions of two or more elements
Water is a chemical compound. Can you name the elements that combine to form water molecules?
particulate
adjective — made of particles, such as molecules and atoms (at a microscopic scale); or of small solid pieces like grains of sand (at a macroscopic scale)
At a particulate level, the density of a substance is determined by two things: how massive the particles of the substance are, and how closely packed or spread out those particles are.
continuous
adjective – without interruption
Why do you think water appears continuous, even though it is made of separate atoms?
conservation
noun — the preservation of some quantity despite some kind of transformation
We see the Law of the Conservation of Matter at play in photosynthesis when every atom of carbon dioxide and water that goes into the plant is accounted for in the sugars and oxygen it produces.
reaction
noun – (in chemistry) an interaction between substances that changes the connections between atoms
Why do some chemical reactions produce only one kind of new molecule, while others produce multiple?