CurriculumGrade 8Science

Evidence of Chemical Reactions

Aligned to MS-PS1-2 — Next Generation Science Standards.

What this lesson teaches

When a chemical reaction happens, new substances form with different properties than the starting materials — such as a new color, a gas, an odor, or a temperature change.

Worked example

Mixing baking soda and vinegar produces bubbling gas and the mixture cools. The new properties — carbon dioxide gas and a different substance — are evidence a chemical reaction occurred, not just a mixing.

Practice questions

  1. Observe a data table of color, density, and melting point before and after, and decide whether a reaction happened.
  2. Compare two mixtures and identify which one shows evidence that a new substance formed.
  3. Explain why a color change alone is not always proof of a chemical reaction.

Watch the lesson

Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.

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En español

Evidencia de Reacciones Químicas

Cuando ocurre una reacción química, se forman sustancias nuevas con propiedades distintas a las de los materiales iniciales — como un color nuevo, un gas, un olor o un cambio de temperatura.

Ejemplo: Al mezclar bicarbonato con vinagre se produce un gas que burbujea y la mezcla se enfría. Las nuevas propiedades — el gas dióxido de carbono y una sustancia diferente — son evidencia de que ocurrió una reacción química, no solo una mezcla.

More Matter & Its Interactions lessons

Modeling Molecules & StructuresMS-PS1-1Synthetic Materials from NatureMS-PS1-3Thermal Energy & States of MatterMS-PS1-4Designing Heating & Cooling ReactionsMS-PS1-6

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