Chemical Compounds: Silver

Here is the link to my Prezi about Silver (Ag) and the elements it can bond with. http://prezi.com/_k-txu8lfcjc/chemical-reactions/

Unit Question

Unit Question: How does studying chemistry give us a better view of how industry affects the world?

When you study chemistry you learn a lot about Chemical Reactions and what negative effects they could have. In industry you learn about how factories dispose of waste and release chemicals into the air or water. You combine this information and can see how some chemicals destroy the environment and what they can react with. For example, in agricultural pollution I learned how Nitrate and Ammonia effect the environment and the effects they have on humans and animals. Also, when you learn about bonding you can see how easily elements could bond and create a potentially harmful compound or damage another element and ruin an ecosystem. For example, when salts leak into lakes or streams it increases the salt amount in the water so no fish or other animals can live there or rely on that as a source of water. You can also use your knowledge of Chemistry to see how the chemicals in the air cause smog, acid rain, and global warming. Since hydrogen is found almost anywhere on earth, it can bond with every element, but the noble gasses. Also, you can use Chemistry to see how industry makes their products and how they are designed to suit the consumers needs. For example, air fresheners and cleaning products are all made from chemicals by a factory. In conclusion, learning about Chemistry helps us see the effects of industry better.

Chemistry Reflection

In this unit I  learned a lot about chemistry. For example I learned that there are two different ways for atoms to bond, ionic and covalent. When two atoms form an ionic bond one atom gives electrons to the other atom and in covalent bonds atoms share electrons. You can tell what elements can bond by looking at a Lewis dot Diagram. Also, the periodic table of elements is organized according to the atomic number and what families the elements are in. Atoms are made of neutrons, which have a neutral charge, electrons, which have a negative charge, and protons which have a positive charge. I also learned that there are negative ions called an Anion and a positive ion is called a Cation. There are two different types of solutions: Colloids that have small undissolved parts of the solute and suspensions that can be separated by a filter. Also, I learned a lot about acids and bases during this unit. A reaction with a acid releases hydrogen, so each chemical equation begins with the atomic symbol for hydrogen which is H. When bases dissolve in water you can separate positive and negative ions and the chemical equation always begin with OH (oxygen and hydrogen). To tell if something is an acid or a base you measure its pH level. If it is high it is a base, and if it is low it is an acid. You can use litmus paper or cabbage juice to measure pH. I really enjoyed studying bonding the most and found it very interesting. In conclusion I thought this unit was very interesting and I learned a lot about Chemistry.