Why should you care about chemistry and how is it applicable to your life? If you look at a sand dune from afar, you might think it is made of a smooth, continuous material. Up close, however, you can see that it is composed of tiny particles of sand. In that same manner, everything around you-no matter how smooth it may look-is composed of basic units called atoms. You now know that atoms are tiny, indestructible building blocks that are too small to be seen with the human eye. However, imagine that you have developed a superpower that allows you to see on the atomic level. At the atomic level, you are able to see atoms and their interactions. Now imagine that you see an oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms.
• Will a compound form between the oxygen atom and the two hydrogen atoms? If so, what is the name of the resulting compound?
• What is the type of bonding that would occur between the oxygen atom and the two hydrogen atoms? Explain your reasoning.
Imagine you now see a group of potassium atoms and bromine atoms and address the following questions:
• Predict whether a compound will result from the interaction between the potassium and bromine atoms and explain your reasoning. If so, what is the name of the compound?
• How do atoms obtain positive charges? How do atoms obtain negative charges?
• Imagine that you are able to see the atoms that make up KHC8 H4O4, known as potassium hydrogen phthalate.
• What are the elements present in potassium hydrogen phthalate and how many atoms of each element are present?
Read the guidelines below for writing your Assignment.
Part 1: Reflective Essay
For this Assignment, you will write a reflective essay, which should be between 400 and 500 words in length. Your essay should include an introduction and conclusion. Within your essay, you should address the questions within the Assignment instructions above. Be sure to use correct scientific terminology within your essay, including the following terms: atom, cation, anion, ions, positive charge, negative charge, electrons, bonding, shells, sharing, transfer, covalent, and compound.
Be sure to use APA formatting to cite all references used to complete your essay and format your paper according to APA guidelines.
For part 2 of this Assignment, you will complete the worksheet below and submit it along with Part 1 of your Assignment.