Gizmos Student Exploration Nuclear Decay Answer Key

ocabulary: Avogadro’s number, chemical equation, chemical formula, chemical reaction, coefficient, combination, combustion, conservation of matter, decomposition, double replacement, molar mass, mole, molecular mass, molecule, product, reactant, single replacement, subscript Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.) 1. A candle is placed on one pan of a balance, and an equal weight is placed on the other pan. What would happen if you lit up the candle and waited for a while? 2. Suppose the candle was placed in a large, sealed jar that allowed it to burn for several minutes before running out of oxygen. The candle and jar are balanced by an equal weight. In this situation, what would happen if you lit up the candle and waited? Gizmo Warm-up Burning is an example of a chemical reaction. The law of conservation of matter states that no atoms are created or destroyed in a chemical reaction. Therefore, a balanced chemical equation will show the same number of each type of atom on each side of the equation. To set up an equation in the Chemical Equations Gizmo, type the chemical formulas into the text boxes of the Gizmo. First, type in “H2+O2” in the Reactants box and “H2O” in the Products box. This represents the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen gas to form water. 1. Check that the Visual display is chosen on each side of the Gizmo and count the atoms. A. How many hydrogen atoms are on the Reactants side? B. How many oxygen atoms are on the Reactants side? 2. Based on what you see, is this equation currently balanced?