Research of Atoms, Elements, Mixtures

and Compounds!
Atoms:
Atoms consist of electrons surrounding a nucleus that
contains protons and neutrons. Neutrons are neutral, but
protons and electrons are electrically charged: protons
have a relative charge of +1 and electrons have a
relative charge of -1. Also, Atoms are building blocks.
If you want to do a little more thinking, imagine the
smallest particles of matter. Super-tiny subatomic
particles are used to create the parts of atoms.
Protons, neutrons, and electrons can then organize to
form atoms. Atoms are then used to create the
molecules around us. As we just learned, there are
almost 120 elements that can be found in the molecules
we know. Smaller molecules can work together and
build macromolecules. It just goes on. Everything you
see or imagine is built from something else.

Elements:
All matter is made of atoms. There are over a hundred
different types of atom, called elements, and each one
has a symbol. The atoms of a particular element are
identical to each other.
When atoms of different elements join together they
make a compound. Compounds are represented by

formulae that show how many atoms of each element are

in the compound. Formulae can be worked out from the
charge of the ions that make up the compound.
Chemical reactions can be written down as balanced
chemical equations.

Now we're getting to the heart and soul of the way the
Universe works. You know that a generic atom has some
protons and neutrons in the nucleus and
some electrons zipping around in orbitals. When those
pieces start combining in specific numbers, you can build
atoms with recognizable traits. If you have eight
protons, neutrons and electrons, you will have
an oxygen(O) atom. If you have seven protons, neutrons,
and electrons, you will have a nitrogen (N) atom. The
atoms for each element are unique, even though they are
all made of similar subatomic parts.
Remember that 'atom' is the general term. Everything is
made of atoms. The term 'element' is used to describe
atoms with specific characteristics. There are almost
120 known elements. For example, you are made up of
billions of billions of atoms but you probably won't find
more than 40 elements (types of atoms) in your body.
Chemists have learned that over 95% of your body is

made up of hydrogen (H), carbon (C), nitrogen, oxygen,

phosphorus (P), and calcium (Ca).

Mixtures:
A mixture is made from different substances that
are not chemically joined.
For example powdered iron and powdered sulphur mixed
together makes a mixture of iron and sulphur. They can
be separated from each other without a chemical
reaction, in the way that different coloured sweets can
be picked out from a mixed packet and put into separate
piles.
Mixtures are absolutely everywhere you look. Most
things in nature are mixtures. Look at rocks, the ocean,
or even the atmosphere. They are all mixtures, and
mixtures are about physical properties, not chemical
ones. That statement means the individual molecules
enjoy being near each other, but their fundamental
chemical structure does not change when they enter the
mixture. If the chemical structure changed, it would be
called areaction.
When you see distilled water (H2O), it's a pure
substance. That means that there are only water
molecules in the liquid. A mixture would be a glass of
water with other things dissolved inside, maybe one of
those powders you take if you get sick. Each of the
substances in that glass keeps its own chemical
properties. So, if you have some dissolved substances in

water, you can boil off the water and still have those
dissolved substances left over. If you have some salt
(NaCl) in water and then boil off the water, the salt
remains in the pan. The salt is left because it takes
very high temperatures to melt salt (even more to boil
it).

Mixtures are
Everywhere
There are an infinite
number of mixtures.
Anything you can combine is a mixture. Think of
everything you eat. Just think about how many cakes
there are. Each of those cakes is made up of a
different mixture of ingredients. Even the wood in your
pencil is considered a mixture. There is the basic
cellulose of the wood, but there are also thousands of
other compounds in that pencil.Solutions are also
mixtures, but all of the molecules are evenly spread out
through the system. They are called homogenous
mixtures.
If you put sand into a glass of water, it is considered to
be a mixture. You can always tell a mixture, because
each of the substances can be separated from the group
in different physical ways. You can always get the sand
out of the water by filtering the water away. If you
were busy, you could just leave the sand and water
mixture alone for a few minutes. Sometimes mixtures
separate on their own. When you come back, you will

find that all of the sand has sunk to the

bottom. Gravity was helping you with the separation.
Don't forget that a mixture can also be made of two
liquids. Even something as
simple as oil and water is a
mixture.

Compounds:
Atoms of different
elements can join together
in chemical reactions to
form compounds. For
example hydrogen and oxyg
en are elements. They
react together to form water, a compound.
There are countless different ways for the elements to
join together, and millions of compounds are known.
Properties of compounds
The properties of compounds are usually very different
from the properties of the elements they contain. For
example hydrogen and oxygen are both gases at room
temperature, but water is a liquid.
The reaction between iron and sulphur to make iron
sulphide is often used in school to study elements and
compounds. Look at the animation to remind you what
happens in this reaction.

Creating iron sulphide

A test tube is filled with a mixture of iron and sulfur.

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The table compares the properties of iron and sulphur

(the two elements), and iron sulphide (the compound).

colour

Element

Element Compound

iron

sulphur

iron sulphide

silvery
grey

yellow

black

no

no

is it attracted yes

Element

Element Compound

hydrogen
formed

no
smelly
reaction hydrogen
sulphide
formed

to a magnet?
reaction with
hydrochloric
acid

Chemical bonds
The atoms in a compound are chemically joined together
by strong forces called bonds. You can only separate the
elements in a compound using another chemical reaction.
Separation methods like filtration and distillation will not
do this.

Compounds form when atoms join together in a chemical

reaction