A student:
All chemical reactions involve the creation of new substances and associated energy transformations, which are commonly observable as changes in the temperature of the surroundings and/or the emission of light. These reactions are harnessed and controlled by chemists to produce substances that lead to the development of useful products.
Chemicals can react at many different speeds and in many different ways, yet they basically involve the breaking and making of chemical bonds. Students study how chemicals react, the changes in matter and energy that take place during these reactions, and how these chemical reactions and changes relate to the chemicals that are used in everyday life.
In this module, students focus on designing, evaluating and conducting investigations to obtain and process data in the most appropriate manner in relation to chemical reactions. Students should be provided with opportunities to engage with all the Working Scientifically skills throughout the course.
Inquiry question: What are the products of a chemical reaction?
Students:
investigate a variety of reactions to identify possible indicators of a chemical change
use modelling to demonstrate
the rearrangement of atoms to form new substances
the conservation of atoms in a chemical reaction (ACSCH042, ACSCH080)
conduct investigations to predict and identify the products of a range of reactions, for example:
investigate the chemical processes that occur when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples detoxify poisonous food items
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures icon
construct balanced equations to represent chemical reactions