Chemistry
Personally, I find it surreal that chemistry is all around us "from the air we breathe to the food we eat" to the items at the supermarket that say “no chemicals added”. This year in Chemistry, I have learned that it is impossible to create something without using chemistry because chemistry consists of all matter. It allows us to answer questions as simple as why a candle goes out when a glass is placed over it to more complex questions such as does a candle actually burn in zero gravity? Chemistry is the study of matter and the changes it undergoes such as ice changing from the solid to liquid to gas phase. It has existed for thousands of years and people have used it for things such as creating metal from an ore, dying fabric, and making cheese. Chemistry deals with different substances and how they can interact with each other to create a product. During the first semester, learned about the chemistry of materials and how different elements interact to create something. The following Materials Unit Project is the final piece that we did for this unit
Materials Unit Project
For the materials unit project, we focused on how the chemical structure of a material affects its physical properties. We learned many things, such as that the valence electrons in metals can help explain malleability and conductivity. Or that bonding can lead to various representations of physical properties such as the different reactions between covalently and ionically bonded materials. We also learned about an atom's electron structure and how it can change the properties in a physical and chemical component.
Once we developed a strong base knowledge of the materials that affect our lives everyday, we began a project that was based off of either researching an element and how it has shaped our world, writing a letter to a company to improve a product, or researching new materials and writing an article about our selected subject. I chose to focus my project on the research of new material and I studied synthetic skin for prosthetic's.
Once we developed a strong base knowledge of the materials that affect our lives everyday, we began a project that was based off of either researching an element and how it has shaped our world, writing a letter to a company to improve a product, or researching new materials and writing an article about our selected subject. I chose to focus my project on the research of new material and I studied synthetic skin for prosthetic's.
Reflection
1. How has the chemistry of materials shaped our past, present and how may it shape our future?
Materials are always evolving, from the first uses of polymer banknotes in Australia to the now, ever-present credit cards, materials have molded our world into what we know today. Almost everything that we encounter on a daily basis is made up of materials that have been modified and recreated to improve our lives. This has occurred because with each failure in a material, comes learning more about it before reusing it. Since materials started being used, the pattern of failure and success has been a constant element and is what will be the reason for continuing advancements in the chemistry of materials.
2. How does the structure of matter on the atomic, molecular, microscopic and macroscopic levels determine a materials property?
It is not a single factor that determines a substance's chemical makeup in material's properties. The atomic level influences a materials property because the elements in this level are always switching with the goal of accomplishing creating a full octet; meaning that they are less stable because of all of the movement. The molecular structure of a materials property is influenced by ionically, metallically, and covalently bonded molecules. The different type of bond is determined by the strength.Microscopic substances have different properties when the buildup of the substance is created (i.e. cross-linked polymers vs crystallinity). Finally, macroscopic structures affect a materials property by having varying elements such as crystal size or length.
Materials are always evolving, from the first uses of polymer banknotes in Australia to the now, ever-present credit cards, materials have molded our world into what we know today. Almost everything that we encounter on a daily basis is made up of materials that have been modified and recreated to improve our lives. This has occurred because with each failure in a material, comes learning more about it before reusing it. Since materials started being used, the pattern of failure and success has been a constant element and is what will be the reason for continuing advancements in the chemistry of materials.
2. How does the structure of matter on the atomic, molecular, microscopic and macroscopic levels determine a materials property?
It is not a single factor that determines a substance's chemical makeup in material's properties. The atomic level influences a materials property because the elements in this level are always switching with the goal of accomplishing creating a full octet; meaning that they are less stable because of all of the movement. The molecular structure of a materials property is influenced by ionically, metallically, and covalently bonded molecules. The different type of bond is determined by the strength.Microscopic substances have different properties when the buildup of the substance is created (i.e. cross-linked polymers vs crystallinity). Finally, macroscopic structures affect a materials property by having varying elements such as crystal size or length.