Natural Science

Matter and Materials

GRADE 7 TERM 2
MEMO
 Properties of material 4
Matter 4
Types of materials 5
Properties of material in general 6
Homework 4 6
Specific properties of materials 8
Homework 5 9

Electrical conductivity 9
Contents
Heat conductivity 10
Homework 6 11
Impact on the environment 11

Assessment task: Synthetic material and

environmental impacts 15
Assessment rubric 16

Separating mixtures 17
Pure substances and mixtures 17
Homework 7 18

Methods of physical separation 20

Hand sorting 20
Homework 8 22
Magnetism 23
Distillation process 24
Homework 9 25

Acids, bases and neutrals 27

Introduction 27
Tastes of substances 27
Acids 27
Bases 27
Properties of acids, bases and neutrals 27
Acids 27
Bases  29
Acid–base indicators 30
Homework 10 30
 The periodic table of elements 31
Introduction 31
Contents
Arrangement of the elements in the periodic table 32
Arrangement of the elements 35
Homework 11 36
The three main categories of elements 37
Homework 12 37
Properties of metals, metalloids and non-metals 38

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MATTER & MATERIALS

Properties of material
Matter
Everything around us is made out of matter.
What is matter?
Matter is anything that has a mass and takes up space.
Matter can exist in three different states.
What are the three states in which matter can exist?
1. Solid, e.g. ice, wood
2. Liquid, e.g. water, vinegar
3. Gas, e.g. air, water vapour
When a substance changes from a solid to a liquid, it is
called melting.
Example: Take a piece of ice out of the freezer. It will melt
at room temperature to water.
When a substance changes from a liquid to a solid, it is
called solidification.
Example: Fill up your ice tray with water and place it in the freezer. The water will solidify
to form ice.
When a substance changes from a liquid to a gas, it is called boiling.
Example: Put water in a kettle to boil it. The water will boil out of the
kettle, meaning that the liquid water turns to gas.
Note that water can change from liquid to gas at temperatures below
the boiling point. This is called evaporation.
When a substance changes from a gas to a liquid, it is called
condensation.
Example: If you leave a cold glass out on a hot day, the glass will get
water droplets on the outer surface. This is because the water vapour
in the air around us, which is in gas form, hits the cold surface and
condenses into liquid form.

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Types of materials
What are materials?
Materials are substances that we use to make things or to do things with.
We categorise materials into two types: raw materials and synthetic materials.
What are raw materials?
Materials that come from the earth.
Raw materials may be:
• Mined or collected from the earth, e.g. iron, gold, coal, clay
OR
• Found growing naturally, e.g. wood or rubber.
What are synthetic materials?
Materials that are man-made in a factory or a laboratory.
When a material is man-made, it means that natural materials are exposed to certain
processes that change the material chemically e.g. polythene, polystyrene and
polyester..
Both raw and synthetic materials go through a manufacturing process to make useful
things for us.
For example:
• Iron is used to make window frames, pots and pans.
• Gold is used to make jewellery and by some dentists for crowns.
• Wood is used to make furniture such as desks and tables.
• Rubber is used in latex gloves, hosepipes and rubber erasers.
• Polystyrene is used to make polystyrene cups.
• Polythene is used to make plastic packets and bottles.
• Polyester is used to make clothes.
The things that result from the manufacturing process are known as end products.

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Properties of material in general

Different materials have different properties.
We choose different materials for different uses because of the properties of the materials.
For example:
• We use concrete for buildings because it is strong.
• We use copper for electric wires because it conducts electricity well.
• We use glass in windows because we can see through glass.
• A desk top is made of wood, not glass. Why?
Glass is brittle and can easily break.
• The legs of desks are made of steel. Steel is a hard metal. It would not be made of gold.
Why not?
Gold is very expensive and is a soft metal, so the legs would bend with time.
There are different ways to describe properties of material. We can say a material is
flexible, strong, shiny, dull, stretchy, rigid, etc.
Why is it important to learn about the properties of materials?
To help us to make better decisions about which materials to use for different uses.

Homework 4
1. Which objects in your KITCHEN are made of the following materials? List the items.

Wood

Plastic

Steel

Fabric

Glass

Stone

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2. Complete a bar graph using a different colour for each material:

12
11
10
9
8
Number of items

7
6
5
4
3
2
1

Wood Plastic Steel Fabric Glass Stone

3. What conclusions can you draw from the graph? Discuss the presence or lack of each
type of material. For example, there is not a lot of fabric in the kitchen because it is
flammable and it is not heat-resistant (except for oven gloves).








4. Choose three objects from those that you have listed above. State what the material
is made of and give one reason why you think this material was chosen. For example,
a pot is made of steel. It conducts heat so we can cook in it and it is strong so it won’t
break easily.

a. Object 1:
What material Object 1 is made of:
Why this material was chosen for Object 1:


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b. Object 2:
What material Object 2 is made of:
Why this material was chosen for Object 2:


c. Object 3:
What material Object 3 is made of:
Why this material was chosen for Object 3:


Specific properties of materials

Properties of materials determine their suitability for a particular use. For example, a
building is made of concrete. We would not use sponge to build a building. A mattress is
made of sponge. We would not use concrete to make a mattress.
Here we are going to learn about some common properties in more detail.
Strength
Strength is the force needed to break a material.
For example, concrete is strong. It doesn’t change shape easily and it is not easy to crush.
The opposite of strong is weak.

Flexibility
Flexibility is how easy it is to bend a material without the material breaking.
For example, a rubber hose is flexible. We can therefore easily water the garden with a
rubber hose. If a hosepipe was made of steel it would not be as easy to water the garden.
The opposite of flexible is stiff.

Absorbent and waterproof

When something is absorbent, it soaks up liquid. For example, a bath sponge and towel
are absorbent.
When something is waterproof, it is resistant to liquid. For example, glass, plastic and
metal are waterproof.

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Boiling and melting points

At what temperature does ice melt? 0 °C – the melting point of water
At what temperature does water boil? 100 °C – the boiling point of water
We are all familiar with water. However, many substances melt and boil. For example, iron
melts at around 1 535 °C. Gold melts at 1 064 °C, silver melts at 962 °C and copper melts at
1 085 °C.
Lead melts at a much lower temperature of 372 °C. We use lead in electrical fuses. The
electrical fuse will melt if there is an electrical fault that makes the wire too hot.
Some substances boil at low temperatures. Ethanol is a type of alcohol and boils at 78 °C.
Paraffin is a mixture of different petroleum products. Depending on the petroleum
products it contains, its boiling point may be 150 to 300 °C.

Homework 5
How does the melting point of candle wax make it useful for us?
Candle wax melts and becomes liquid fuel at the temperature that the flame creates.
When we blow out the flame, i.e. at room temperature, the wax solidifies again and can
be stored away safely.
How does the melting point of a steel pot make it useful for us?
It takes extremely high temperatures to melt steel. We can therefore confidently use
steel pots on the stove to cook food in.

Electrical conductivity
Some materials allow electricity to move through them easily. Such materials are known
as electrical conductors.
Materials that don’t allow electricity to move through them easily are known as electrical
insulators.
Materials such as copper and aluminium are electrical conductors. We
therefore use them in electrical wiring.
However, we need to protect ourselves from electricity, as it is
dangerous. We therefore cover our electrical wiring in an electrical
insulator such as plastic.
An electric plug with the electric wires covered in plastic. The plastic
plug cover also protects us.

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Heat conductivity
Heat conductivity is the ability of a material to conduct heat.
Pots that we cook in may be made of different types of metals, such as copper or
aluminium. Because the pot material is a good conductor of heat, the heat is transferred
to the food.
The material that the pot is made of is known as a heat conductor.
The handle of the pot is usually made of plastic. Why?
The handle should not conduct heat, or else we will burn our hands.
The material that the handle is made of is known as a heat insulator.

Heat insulator

Heat conductor

Other properties of material

We have only learnt about some properties of material. What were they?
• Strong and weak
• Flexible and stiff
• Absorbent and waterproof
• Boiling and melting points
• Electrical conductivity and insulation
• Heat conductivity and insulation
These are not the only factors that we take into account when we select different
materials for different purposes. There are many other factors that we take into account.
We may select materials based on factors such as colour, texture and cost.
Sometimes we cannot combine all the factors that we want, so we need to decide which
factors are most important. For example, we may need a metal that is light and strong.
Titanium would be perfect, except that it’s expensive. So we use aluminium instead, which
is not as light, but is still strong and cost-effective.

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Homework 6
Study the materials below:

Cling wrap Plywood Paper Wax paper

1. Arrange the items in order, from the most suitable to the least suitable material for
wrapping a sandwich.
Cling wrap, wax paper, paper, plywood
2. Write a sentence explaining why each material is or is not suitable for wrapping
sandwiches.
Plywood – not flexible and not hygienic (it may contain chemicals that we want to
avoid in our food).
Paper – it is flexible but it is not waterproof and it is not hygienic.
Wax paper – it is flexible, waterproof and hygienic, but it would come apart easily if
not carefully wrapped.
*Cling wrap – it is flexible, waterproof and hygienic. It sticks to itself, so it will not
come apart.
3. List and explain any other properties of the MOST SUITABLE material that you chose in
Question 1 for wrapping sandwiches.
Cling wrap is the most suitable. As listed above, it needs to be flexible, waterproof
and hygienic.
It’s also easy to wrap the food because it sticks to itself.
Another property is that it is airtight. This means that air cannot penetrate it and
dry out foods such as bread and cake.
Lastly, it is see-through. This is an advantage because it allows us to see exactly
what we are going to eat without needing to open it.

Impact on the environment

Whenever we produce something from materials there is an impact on the environment.
The environmental impact may occur when:
• We obtain the material, e.g. mining for coal or chopping trees,
• We manufacture the material in the factory or the laboratory, or
• We throw away or dispose of the material.

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Obtaining the material

To obtain the raw materials, we need to mine the material or collect it from the
environment.
The mining process results in a lot of pollution:
• It uses a lot of electricity. The use of electricity results in air pollution.
• It results in a lot of waste being produced, which often ends up as soil or water
pollution.
When we collect raw material from the environment, it means taking things that are in
the environment and destroying the balance of the ecosystem. For example, when we
chop down trees, many animals lose their habitat. When we fish, we take away food from
animals that eat the fish.
Manufacturing the material
The manufacturing process results in a lot of pollution:
• It uses a lot of electricity. The use of electricity results in air pollution.
• It often relies on burning things, which results in air pollution.
• It results in a lot of waste being produced, which often ends up as soil or water
pollution.
Disposing of the material
Once we are finished using the materials in our daily lives, we dispose of them.
The things we throw away end up in landfill sites.
What is a landfill site?
It is a large hole in the ground where rubbish is dumped.
The hole is lined with a special material that prevents the pollution from leaking through
and into the soil. The landfill is also not allowed to be filled up too high.
However, there are a few problems with landfill sites:
• After some time the lining gets degraded, which means
that the pollution can leak into the soil. This results in soil
pollution.
• Landfill sites are often illegal. People simply find a spot
and dig a hole in the ground without lining it. This results
in soil pollution.
• Often people fill up the landfill site to a heap. When it
rains, the pollutants overflow, resulting in soil pollution. A landfill site

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Why is soil pollution a problem?

Soil pollution eventually reaches rivers and results in water pollution.
Water pollution has an impact on plants and animals that are dependent on this polluted
water. Many of those plants and animals will die because they cannot handle the pollution.
The animals that are dependent on those plants for food and shelter and on those animals
for food will also be impacted. They now have less shelter and food available to them, and
some of them will also die. This results in an ecosystem imbalance.
When we dispose of synthetic material, they take a lot of time to decompose, and bad
chemicals are released when they decompose. This causes a great risk to the environment.
Some synthetic materials are more harmful than others. For example, batteries are full of
toxic material. Batteries should be disposed of in specific battery disposal bins. They are
then disposed of by the municipality as toxic waste in special lined bins.
Ideas to reduce environmental impacts of disposal in your home
Buy durable products. For example, don’t buy a disposable plastic bottle, but rather one
that you can use over and over again.
Before replacing items, try to repair them. Remember that it may be
something that you can give to someone else to repair if you don’t want to.
Buy items that you can reuse. For example, use normal ceramic plates,
not disposable plates. Use proper cutlery, not plastic. Pack school lunches
in reusable containers with lids. Use plug-in appliances instead of those
that operate on batteries. If you need to use batteries, make sure you use
rechargeable batteries.
Buy items that you can recycle. Many shops have recycling bins as well
as battery disposal bins. Most schools also have paper recycling bins. Look
out for packaging that displays a sign that looks like this, meaning that it is
recyclable (e.g. glass coffee jars and some plastic bottles):
Avoid excess packaging. For example, avoid buying biscuits in small
packets; rather buy the larger version that uses less plastic to package more
biscuits. Remember that there is a trade-off here – only buy an amount you
will use. There is no point buying in bulk if you are going to waste some
of the food. Larger sizes reduce the amount of packaging, but smaller
sizes reduce leftover waste.
Buy a waste compost bin and put things such as egg shells and leftovers
from your fruit and vegetables in there. You may then use the compost in your garden.
Reduce toxic waste by purchasing paints, pesticides and other hazardous materials only in
the quantities needed, or by sharing leftovers. Always opt for the non-toxic version, if possible.

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Sorting and recycling material

Every person is responsible for correct disposal of their
waste. We already discussed that we need to:
Reduce our waste, e.g. by buying products that use less
packaging,
Reuse our material where possible,
Recycle suitable material, and
Dispose of harmful materials such as batteries and
electronic components responsibly.
Note that there is a big difference between reusing and recycling. When we reuse, we
don’t change the material. You buy a water bottle and reuse it by refilling it with water.
When we recycle, the material is changed. So your plastic bottle is recycled to make
plastic bags.
Materials that may be recycled include:
Glass, paper/cardboard, metal, plastic
There are people who make a living collecting recyclable material and selling it by mass to
buy-back centres. Schools can also earn money from selling recyclable waste material to
recycling companies.
Glass and metal can be recycled over and over again. Paper can be recycled about seven
times.
Recycling plastic is very important because:
Most of our waste is plastic-derived.
Plastic is made from oil, which is a limited resource.
Making plastic uses a lot of water and energy.
There are different types of plastic. Manufacturers use special codes that they stamp on
the plastic in order to sort it more easily. Below are some examples:
Plastic recycling code Type of plastic
Polyethylene – mainly used for water bottles and in food
packaging
High-density polyethylene – used in plastic bags and bottles
for detergents and cosmetics

Polystyrene – used in disposable cups and plates

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The amount of waste produced per person per day is approximately 0.7 to 0.8 kg.
Do you think that there is a higher amount of waste produced per person per day in
developed or in developing countries? Explain.
It is higher in developed countries because in developed countries people use more
things.
In South Africa, about 70% of metal, 60% of paper, 25% of glass and 17% of plastic used is
recycled.
Do you think that there is a higher amount of waste recycled in developed or in
developing countries? Explain.
It is higher in developed countries because there is infrastructure for recycling, and
people by law have to separate and recycle their waste, else they get fined.

Assessment task: Synthetic material and environmental impacts

For this assessment, you will choose and research a synthetic material and its
environmental impact.
Provide information under the following headings in this order:
1. Name of the synthetic material, including a picture
2. Discuss the application of the synthetic material, i.e. how and where it is used
3. Discuss the environmental impacts associated with the manufacture of this material
4. Discuss the environmental impacts associated with the disposal of this material
5. What we can do to reduce the environmental impact that results from this material?
E.g. use less of it, dispose of it responsibly, recycle it, and avoid using it and use a
substitute.
Your project should be one to two pages long. Make sure that your five headings are easy
to identify. Make sure that your work is neat. You may type or handwrite the assignment.
Remember that you cannot simply choose, say, plastic as your synthetic material. There
are many different types of plastic, so you have to be specific with the material that you
choose.

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Assessment rubric
Excellent Good Satisfactory Partially Poor Not
achieved achieved
Q1 is answered in full 5 4 3 2 1 0
Q2 is answered in full 5 4 3 2 1 0
Q3 is answered in full 5 4 3 2 1 0
Q4 is answered in full 5 4 3 2 1 0
Q5 is answered in full 5 4 3 2 1 0
The work is neat 5 4 3 2 1 0
 Total: 30 marks

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Separating mixtures
Pure substances and mixtures
We previously learnt that:
• Material is matter that we use to make or do something useful for us.
• We choose a material for a certain task because of the properties of that material.
Matter and material may be made of pure substances or mixtures of substances.
What is a pure substance?
A substance made of one type of material. It has the same properties all the way
through.
A copper bracelet that is made of only copper is a pure substance. A glass of water that
contains only water is a pure substance.
In both cases, it is a pure substance because it is the same all the way through.
What is a mixture?
A substance made of two or more materials that have different physical properties.
When we mix two substances together to form a mixture, the particles of one substance
move in-between the particles of the other substance.
The particles of the mixture do not join together, meaning that the particles can be
separated from one another.
There are two types of mixtures: heterogeneous and homogeneous.
Heterogeneous mixtures
What is a heterogeneous mixture?
A non-uniform mixture, meaning that it does not look the same
throughout.
Homogeneous mixture
What is a homogenous mixture?
A uniform mixture, meaning that it looks the same throughout.
How can we separate the particles in a mixture, whether heterogeneous
or homogeneous?
By using physical methods.

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Homework 7
1. Suggest some tools that may be used in the kitchen to separate mixtures and explain
what they separate.
An egg separator separates the yolk from the egg white.
A slotted spoon may be used to separate cooked pasta from water.
A salad spinner may be used to separate water from lettuce.
2. Decide whether each of the following are mixtures or pure substances:
a. Pure water Pure substance
b. Tap water Mixture
c. Salt water Mixture
d. Cake batter Mixture
e. Air Mixture
f. Gold Pure substance
g. Salt Pure substance
3. For the following diagrams, decide which are mixtures and which are pure substances.
Provide an explanation for each.
Substance Pure substance or mixture Explanation
Pure substance It is made up of only
sugar.

Sugar cubes
Mixture It is made up of different
fruit.

Fruit salad
Mixture It is made up of different
types of metals.

Steel rods
Mixture It is made up of different
herbs.

Mixed herbs

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Substance Pure substance or mixture Explanation

Pure substance It is made up of one type
of substance.

Copper sulphate
Mixture It is made up of water and
coffee.

Cup of coffee

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Methods of physical separation

Hand sorting
We can use hand sorting to separate a mixture made up of
solid particles that have different sizes, colours, textures
or shapes. Hand sorting is cheap and easy, but what is a
major disadvantage of hand sorting?
It can take a long time.
Examples of hand sorting in real life:
• Once a sheep is sheared, the thorns and sticks have to be
removed from the fleece.
• Before fruit are packed and sent to the shops, they need to
be hand-sorted according to size and quality. Hand sorting
Sieving
We may use sieving to separate a mixture of solids
that have particles of different sizes. A sieve has
holes in it that are all the same size. What is the
purpose of the holes?
It will catch the large particles and let through the
smaller particles.
Examples of sieving in real life:
• Builders sieve sand to separate out stones and
other impurities before they use the sand to make
plaster.
Sieving
• On the mines, sieves are used to separate out gold-
containing particles of different sizes.
Filtration
We use filtration to separate an insoluble solid from a liquid. We use a filter that lets
through the liquid, but not the solid particles.
What does it mean when something is insoluble?
Insoluble describes a solid that does not dissolve in a liquid.
Is sugar soluble or insoluble in water? Soluble
Is salt soluble or insoluble in water? Soluble
Is sugar soluble or insoluble in oil? Insoluble
Is salt soluble or insoluble in oil? Insoluble
Is sand soluble in water? Insoluble

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In which of the above examples can we use filtration to separate the mixture? Provide a
reason.
The last three. Filtration can only separate an insoluble solid from a liquid. A soluble
solid would pass through the filter paper with the liquid.
Sand is insoluble in water. We can use a funnel and filter paper to separate the water from
the sand. Filter paper is a material that has very small spaces that let the water particles
through, but not the sand particles.
Examples of filtration in real life:
• When we filter water, we leave behind certain minerals.
• Coffee makers use a filter to keep the coffee grounds out of the water. 
• A tea bag acts as a filter to leave the tea leaves behind in the tea bag.

Filtration

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Homework 8
Read the following and answer the questions that follow:

How do wetlands filter harmful substances?

Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum, Wetland Ecosystem

H armful substances are often introduced into water bodies like streams,
rivers, ponds, and lakes. Factories may dump toxic chemicals, or
rainwater may carry harmful pesticides or animal waste from farms. Such
harmful substances can have negative impacts on the wildlife that live in
these water bodies. These substances may also enter the groundwater, which
is where people get their water to drink!
So how do wetlands help? Wetlands reduce the amount of these harmful
substances that enter a stream, river, pond, or lake by acting like a filter
to filter out the bad stuff. When these substances enter a wetland, before
reaching the water body, wetland plants will take many of the harmful
substances into their roots and change the harmful substances into less
harmful ones before they are released to the water body. Harmful substances
may also be buried in wetland soil, where bacteria and other microorganisms
break the substances down so they are no longer harmful.
So, let’s say there are two farms, each one is next to a lake. On one of the
farms, there is a wetland next to the lake. On the other farm, there is not.
Which farm do you think is going to release more harmful substances into
the lake - the one with the wetland, or the one without the wetland?
REMEMBER!! Wetlands can only handle so many harmful substances and they
can only make certain substances less harmful. It is therefore important to
remember that even though wetlands filter harmful substances very well,
we still must be careful and allow very little of these substances to enter a
wetland or any other ecosystem.

Source: https://goo.gl/KQ5PZZ
1. Explain in your own words how wetlands act as natural filters.
Harmful substances in the water get trapped by the roots of wetland plants, or are
buried in the soil of the wetland. The roots can turn the harmful substances into
less harmful substances. The harmful substances in the soil may be broken down
by micro-organisms into less harmful substances. Therefore, clean water enters the
water body after passing through the wetland.

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2. Suggest why wetlands are important to people.

Wetlands act as filters. They remove harmful substances from waste water so that
the water that ends up in rivers is cleaner for plants, animals and humans. Humans
depend on plants and animals for many things, so it is important to keep plants and
animals healthy.

Magnetism
We can use magnetism to separate a magnetic
substance from a non-magnetic substance. A magnet
can attract iron, cobalt and nickel. This is because iron,
cobalt and nickel are magnetic elements.
Steel is magnetic because iron.
Examples of using a magnet in real life:
• Magnets are used in recycling to recover magnetic
substances from domestic waste.
• When iron is mined, magnets are used to extract the
iron.
Magnetism
Evaporation
Certain solids dissolve in a liquid. For example, sugar dissolves in water. In a solution of
sugar and water, you cannot distinguish the sugar from the water.
What is a solution?
A mixture that consists of a solid dissolved in a liquid.
The solid that is dissolved in the liquid is called the solute.
The liquid in which the solid is dissolved is called the solvent.
We cannot use filtration to separate a solution. Why?
The solvent particles surround the solute particles. If we filter
sugar water, the sugar particles will move through the filter paper
with the water particles.
However, we can use evaporation to recover the solute from the
solution. We need to heat the solution. Water will boil and escape
into the atmosphere. The sugar will be left behind.
Example of evaporation in real life:
• At a mining site, polluted water is sent to a special dam. The
water evaporates from the dam and the bad chemicals are left behind.

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Distillation
When we evaporate, we lose the solvent. We use distillation to recover both the solute
and the solvent of a solution.
What is distillation?
The process of separating a solution by boiling it, so that the solvent evaporates, and
then the vaporised solvent cools and condenses.
What is condensation?
The change of state from a gas to a liquid.
If you heat salt water in a pot and close the lid, the water evaporates from the pot and
condenses on the pot lid. Distillation is a similar process.
We boil the water in the flask on the left. The water
evaporates to the top of the flask. It has nowhere
to go but through the tube. Once in the tube, it
cools down and condenses back to liquid water,
and runs into the beaker on the left. Once all the
water has evaporated (and moved over to the
beaker on the right), the sugar is left behind in the
flask on the left.

Distillation process
We may also use distillation to separate a
solution of two liquids. However, the liquids
need to have different boiling points.
For example, take a mixture of ethanol and water. The boiling point of water is 100 °C. The
boiling point of ethanol is 78 °C. How would the distillation process work to separate the
two?
If we heat the solution to 78° C and keep the temperature there, only the ethanol will
evaporate, leaving the water behind.
Examples of distillation in real life:
• Salt water is turned into fresh water through distillation.
• When oil is mined from the ground it is known as crude oil. Various forms of fuel, such
as petrol and diesel, are separated from crude oil by distillation.
• Alcoholic drinks are made through distillation. The alcohol is boiled off from the rest of
the mixture and collected in a concentrated format.

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Homework 9
Which method would you use to separate the following mixtures into pure substances?
Explain why you chose the method. Then explain the method itself.
1. Sand in water
Method: Filtration
Why you chose this method: Sand is insoluble in water.
Explanation of what happens:
The water will go through the filter paper and the sand will stay behind.
2. Sugar in water
Method: Evaporation
Why you chose this method: Sugar is soluble in water.
Explanation of what happens:
Evaporate the water. The sugar will be left behind.
3. Rice and dried beans
Method: Hand separation
Why you chose this method: Solids that can be distinguished
Explanation of what happens:
Separate rice and beans by hand.
4. Flour and sugar
Method: Sieving
Why you chose this method: Solids of different sizes
Explanation of what happens:
The flour will fall through the holes. The sugar will stay behind.
5. Pieces of iron and wood
Method: Magnetism
Why you chose this method: One substance is magnetic, the other is not.
Explanation of what happens:
Use a magnet to extract the iron. You will be left with the wood.

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6. Salad dressing made of oil and vinegar

Method: Distillation
Why you chose this method: The two liquids have different boiling points.
Explanation of what happens:
Boil the mixture and the vinegar will end on the other side of the distillation tube.
7. Sugar and crushed glass
Only explain the process. Clue: There are two methods involved here.
Dissolve the sugar in water. Put it through a sieve. You will be left with the glass in
the sieve. Then evaporate the water so that you are left with the sugar.

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Acids, bases and neutrals

Introduction
We can classify substances into different groups. One of the classifications is acids and
bases. Acids and bases can be found in the home – in foods and household chemicals. For
example, soaps contain bases and many drinks contain acids.
When acids and bases are weak they are not dangerous to us, but when they are strong
they are dangerous.
We are going to learn about the properties of acids and bases, such as what they taste
like, what they feel like and how we can tell them apart.

Tastes of substances
Taste helps us in our survival. For example, in the past, people
were able to distinguish between fruit that are edible and fruit
that are not based on the way that they tasted.
Our tongue has the ability to taste saltiness, sourness, bitterness
and sweetness. There are different areas on our tongue that taste
each of these tastes more strongly

Acids
Acids taste sour. Acids make our skin feel rough.
Fruit such as oranges and lemons contain citric acid acid. This is why they are called citrus
fruit.
The scientific name for vinegar is ethanoic acid. When milk goes sour, it produces lactic
acid acid. Fizzy drinks contain carbonic acid.
Acids improve the flavour of the drinks, because they balance the sweetness of the drinks
and make them taste tangy.

Bases
Bases taste bitter. Bases feel slippery.
We use bicarbonate of soda in our baking to make cakes rise. If you taste it, you will find
that it is bitter. The caffeine in coffee is a base, which gives coffee its bitter taste. Cleaning
agents such as oven cleaners, drain cleaners and furniture polishes are all bases.

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Properties of acids, bases and neutrals

Acids
What is an acid?
A substance with a sour taste that makes the skin feel rough.
Many foods contain acids, e.g. citrus fruit, vinegar and sour milk. Our stomach produces
hydrochloric acid, which helps us to digest our food.
Here is a list of some common acids in our lives:
• Citric acid is found in citrus fruit.
• Ethanoic acid is found in vinegar.
• Lactic acid is found in sour milk.
• Carbonic acid is found in fizzy drinks.
• Hydrochloric acid is found in stomach juices.
• Sulfuric acid is found in batteries.
Acids may be strong or weak. All the acids listed above are weak except for
hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid.
Strong acids are much more dangerous than weak acids. Strong acids are corrosive.
What does corrosive mean?
That the strong acids can eat through clothes, skin, stone and metal.
Because they are so dangerous, bottles of acid have hazard signs on them to explain why
the acid is dangerous.
This sign shows that This sign shows that
the acid is toxic: the acid is corrosive:

You must never taste a strong acid. You must not even smell a strong acid because it can
damage the membranes that line the inside of your nose. You must always wear safety
glasses when you work with acids. If you spill acid on your skin, immediately rinse your
skin with water under a running tap.

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Water will dilute the acid. What does this mean?

If you add water to an acid, you make the acid weaker and therefore less dangerous.
How is it that hydrochloric acid, which is a strong acid, is found in stomach juices? Why
doesn’t it damage our stomach?
Even though hydrochloric acid is strong, it is in diluted form in the stomach.

Bases
What is a base?
A substance with a bitter taste that makes the skin feel slippery.
Bases are the opposite of acids, in that they stop an acid from doing its job. For example,
what causes indigestion or heartburn?
The stomach contains food mixed with hydrochloric acid. When the stomach gets too
full, food mixed with hydrochloric acid is pushed up into the oesophagus. This burns the
oesophagus.
Based on the answer above, how can it be treated?
You can take a base, which will act against the acid. This base is known as an antacid,
e.g. Eno and Gaviscon.
Here is a list of some common bases in our lives:
• Sodium hydroxide used in oven cleaner.
• Potassium hydroxide used in soap.
• Calcium hydroxide used in mouthwash.
• Bicarbonate of soda used in baking.
• Magnesium oxide used in antacids.
Just like acids can be weak or strong, bases can also be weak or strong. All the bases listed
above are strong except for bicarbonate of soda and magnesium oxide.
Strong bases can eat through clothes, skin, stone and metal, just like strong acids.
However, we say that acids are corrosive and that bases are caustic.
Neutrals
Some substances are neither acidic nor basic. Such substances are known as neutral.
Examples of neutral substances include water, salt solutions, sugar solutions and cooking
oil.
Neutral substances are not dangerous. We can eat and drink neutral substances.
How can we make a neutral substance?
By reacting an acid and a base because they cancel each other out.
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Here are some examples of where acids and bases cancel each other out to make
something that is neutral:
• We take an antacid when we experience indigestion.
• Toothpaste contains a base that neutralises the acids in our mouth (caused by eating
sugars).
• The sting of a bee is acidic. We can make the sting neutral by using bicarbonate of
soda, which is a base.

Acid–base indicators
Some substances contain dyes that can change colour when they mix with other
chemicals. These substances are called indicators.
The dyes in indicators change colour when they mix with acids or bases. They change to a
different colour in an acid and in a base.
We can use these indicators to identify acids and bases. This is a safer way than identifying
acids and bases by taste.
One example of an indicator is litmus paper, which can be dyed with a red dye or with a
blue dye. Litmus paper turns RED in an ACID and BLUE in a BASE. Litmus stays the same
colour in a neutral.
Indicator Colour in an acid, e.g. Colour in a base, e.g.
hydrochloric acid sodium hydroxide
Litmus paper Red Blue
Why do we need to use both red and blue litmus paper?
If we use red litmus paper in a liquid and it turns blue, then we know that it’s a base.
BUT if we use red litmus paper in a liquid and it stays red, we cannot know whether it is
an acid or a neutral. So we need to use the blue litmus paper too to check whether the
blue litmus turns red or stays blue.

Homework 10
1. Classify each of the following as an acid, a base or a neutral:
a. Water neutral
b. Salt neutral
c. Vinegar acid
d. Soap base
e. Washing powder base
f. Lemon juice acid
g. Sugar neutral
h. Toothpaste base

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2. What is an indicator?
A dye that, based on the colour change, tells us if something is an acid, a base or a
neutral.
3. What colour would blue litmus paper turn in the following substances?
a. Fizzy drink red
b. Water blue
c. Sugar solution blue
d. Soap blue
e. Orange juice red
f. Bicarbonate of soda blue
g. Salt solution blue
4. Explain why it is necessary to test an unknown substance with both blue and red
litmus paper.
If we use red litmus paper in a liquid and it stays red, we cannot know whether it is
an acid or a neutral. So we need to use the blue litmus paper too to check whether
the blue litmus turns red or stays blue.

The periodic table of elements

Introduction
Everything around us is made up of matter.
What is matter?
Matter is something that has mass and takes up space.

What makes up matter? All matter is made up of atoms.

What are atoms?
Atoms are the smallest things that cannot be broken down further.
Imagine you take a plank of wood. You break it in half. Then you take one of the pieces
and break it in half. Then you break one of those pieces in half again. You keep on doing
that. Eventually you will get to something that is so small that you cannot break it any
further. This is an atom.

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This is a diagram of what an atom looks like. An atom has a central area and an outer area.
The central ball doesn’t move. The outer ball moves in an orbital around the central ball.

There are over a hundred different types of atoms. Different types of atoms are known
as elements.
We know what the properties of each element are, and we can use the elements to make
different materials. We are going to learn how the elements are arranged in the periodic
table.

Arrangement of the elements in the periodic table

There are many different types of materials and they all look different from one another.
However, all materials have something in common. What is it?
They are all made up of atoms.
All the elements on earth are seen in the periodic table.
Refer to the periodic table and name five elements whose names you are familiar with:

The periodic table contains over a hundred elements, but there are millions of different
substances on earth. How is it possible?
The elements can react with each other to form different substances.
Substances that are made of more than one element are known as compounds or
molecules..
For example, the element oxygen and the element hydrogen react to form the compound
water.

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No two elements are the same, and each element has its own properties.
For example, this is sodium.

Sodium has the following properties:

• It is a type of metal.
• It is a solid at room temperature.
• It conducts heat and electricity.
• It is very reactive.
• It melts (turns to liquid) at 98 °C and boils (turns to gas) at 883 °C.
No other element has this specific set of properties. However, there are other elements
that have a similar set of properties.
The periodic table is arranged in a specific way. A Russian chemist, Dmitry Mendeleev
(1834–1907), arranged the periodic table in the way that we know today.
The elements are arranged according to their properties. Mendeleev realised that in his
arrangement there are patterns of repeating properties.

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Arrangement of the elements

The periodic table is arranged in a grid with horizontal rows and vertical columns.
The rows are known as periods. The columns are known as groups.
Go to your periodic table and number the periods from 1 to 7 and the groups from 1 to
18.
Each element has its own name and chemical symbol. The chemical symbol is the code for
the element.
If a chemical symbol consists of only one letter, that letter is always in capital.
Refer to the periodic table and name five chemical symbols that only have one letter as
their symbol. Make sure you write each one as a capital letter.

If a chemical symbol consists of two letters, the first letter is in capital and the second
letter is in lower case.
Refer to the periodic and name five chemical symbols that have two letters as their
symbol. Make sure you write each one as a capital letter first and a small letter for the
second letter.

Each element has its own block in the periodic table. Inside the block is the element’s
chemical symbol. There are two numbers inside each block: one above and one below the
symbol.
The number above is the atomic number. The number below is the mass number.
The example below is of the element helium as it is represented in the periodic table.
Atomic number

Symbol of the element

Mass number

The atomic number helps us to find the element because it increases from left to right
across each row in the periodic table.

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Homework 11
Look at the symbol below and use the periodic table to answer the following questions:

1. What is the name of this element? Carbon

2. What is its atomic number? 6
3. Write down the name of an element in the same group as this element.
Silicon, germanium, tin, lead
4. Write down the name of an element in the same period as this element.
Lithium, beryllium, boron, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon
5. Fill in the table below by listing the first 20 elements in the periodic table and
providing the chemical symbol of each:
Element Symbol
Hydrogen H
Helium He
Lithium Li
Beryllium Be
Boron B
Carbon C
Nitrogen N
Oxygen O
Fluorine F
Neon Ne
Sodium Na
Magnesium Mg
Aluminium Al
Silicon Si
Phosphorus P
Sulphur S
Chlorine Cl
Argon Ar
Potassium K
Calcium Ca

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The three main categories of elements

The elements in the periodic table are arranged into three categories:
• Metals
• Metalloids (also known as semi-metals)
• Non-metals
Most of the elements are metals. Metals are found mainly on the left-hand side and in the
middle of the periodic table.
Colour in green all the metals in the periodic table.
Non-metals are found on the far right-hand side of the periodic table.
Colour in orange all the non-metals in the periodic table.
Metalloids are found between the metals and the non-metals in the periodic table, on
either side of the zigzag with the exception of aluminium, which is a metal.
Go over the zigzag line in black, and colour the metalloids in blue.

Homework 12
1. Write down the symbol for the element sodium. Na
2. Write down the name of an element in the same period as helium. Hydrogen
3. Give the names of two metalloids in the same group as carbon. Silicon, germanium
4. Give the symbols of two metalloids in the same period as potassium. Ge, As
5. State whether the following elements are metals, metalloids or non-metals:
a. Oxygen non-metal
b. Copper metal
c. Silicon metalloid
d. Phosphorus non-metal
e. Calcium metal
f. Helium non-metal

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Properties of metals, metalloids and non-metals

Metals and non-metals
Let’s complete this table that summarises the properties of metals and non-metals:
Property Metals Non-metals
Appearance Silver-grey in colour and Dull
shiny, with the exception of
gold, silver and copper

State of matter Solid at room temperature, At room temperature, non-

with the exception of metals can exist as solids
mercury, which is a liquid (e.g. sulphur) or as gasses
(e.g. chlorine). One non-
metal, bromine, exists as a
liquid.
Electricity conduction Good conductors of Poor conductors of
electricity electricity

Heat conduction Good conductors of heat, Poor conductors of heat,

e.g. heat travels well e.g. heat does not travel
through a pot well through plastic

Magnetism The only magnetic metals Non-magnetic

are iron, cobalt and nickel

Malleability (can be Can bend without breaking Cannot bend without

hammered into shape breaking
without cracking)

Ductility (can be stretched Can stretch without Cannot stretch without

into a thin wire) breaking. Can be stretched breaking. Cannot be
out. stretched out.

Melting and boiling point Have high melting and Have low melting and
boiling points boiling points. Many non-
metals are already gases at
room temperature.
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Metalloids
Metalloids have properties of both metals and non-metals. They resemble metals more
than they resemble non-metals. Some are dull and some are shiny, some are brittle, while
others are malleable and ductile.
Characteristics of metalloids:
• Silver grey in colour.
• Solid at room temperature.
• Not good conductors of electricity at room temperature.
• Good conductors of heat (but not as good as metals).
Metalloids are good conductors of electricity at high temperatures and are therefore
considered semi-conductors.

Silicon Boron

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