Mira's Science Blogs

Summary: In the process of neutralization, a substance that is either acidic or basic becomes neutral. This is called "neutralization." Acids and bases are like "opposites." Some properties of acids are that they are sour, and when put to a litmus paper test, the paper will turn red, meaning the substance is acidic. Properties of bases are that they are slippery, and they will turn litmus paper blue. Litmus paper is used to determine how acidic or basic a substance is. If we are trying to neutralize an acid, we could do this using a base. Universal indicator can be used to determine when the substance has become neutral. We can do this by comparing it to the pH scale. On the pH scale, there are 14 numbers. If a substance is from 0-7, it is acidic. The colors for acidity on the pH scale are red, orange, and yellow. If the substance is from 7-14, this means that it is a base. The colors for bases on the pH scale are blue, dark green, and purple. If a subst

Summary:  What are ionic and covalent bonds? Ionic and covalent bonds are when atoms interact so that they get enough electrons in the outer shell to be stable.  To be stable, according to the octet rule, atoms need eight valence (outer shell) electrons. You know how many valence electrons are in each element by looking at each group on the periodic table. In covalent bonding, the atoms are attracted towards each other. The electrons between atoms are shared so that both atoms get full outer electrons. An example of covalent bonding is the molecules carbon dioxide (CO₂.) In the image below, carbon has six valence electrons and each oxygen atoms has six valence electrons. The two oxygen atoms combined with the carbon atom so that now all three atoms are stable. In the image, you can see that now all of the atoms have eight valence electrons so now they are stable. http://www.ducksters.com/science/chemistry/chemical_bonding_co2.gif In ionic bonding, the electrons are

Question #9:   The reactants of a chemical reaction have_____. Correct Answer:  chemical properties different from the products I understand that this is the correct answer because, in a chemical reaction, the reactants and the products are not exactly the same. For example, When two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom have a chemical reaction, they form water. The properties are different because hydrogen and oxygen are gases and water is a liquid. Many of the properties are different. Question #11:   Copper (Cu) reacts with oxygen (O) to form copper oxide (CuO). The properties of CuO are   most likely_____. Correct Answer: Different from copper or oxygen I know this is the correct answer because, in a chemical reaction, the reactants and products do not have the same properties. Copper is soft and malleable, and oxygen is a gas. When they have a chemical reaction, they form copper oxide, which is a black solid. The properties are once again different. Question #12:  Whi

http://www.phscale.net/pictures/acid.png Summary: This week, we learned about acids and bases. Some of the properties of acids are that they are sour. Some of those examples would be lemon juice and citric acid in oranges. Some properties of bases are that they are slippery. Some examples of bases are glass cleaner and dish detergent.  The pH scale is used to determine how acidic or basic a substance is. There are 14 numbers and colors on the pH scale. The lower the number, the more acidic. The higher the number, the more it becomes a base. Numbers 1 - 7 on the pH scale are acidic these colors would be red, orange, and yellow. Numbers 7 through 14 is a base. The colors for bases are dark green, blue and purple. If the substance has a pH of 7, it is neutral, and the color would be a light green.  To make a substance neutral, also called neutralization, you would need to add more of the "opposite" substance. Acids and bases are almost like opposite be