Mar 15-19

This week, I reviewed over binary and ternary ionic compounds, transition metals, molecular compounds, and acids. These were the topics I identified, defined, and charted in an Infographic I made on Lucidchart, which can be used through the Google Drive to make and store charts, graphs, and infographics.

The assignment on Monday was to define each of the following above and define how to find the chemical formulas of each. To make this, dragged the flowchart boxes onto the page from the menu on the left side. To type in information, click the Text icon and click in the box. This will frame the textbox, where you can type anything in. To resize the items, click on one of the diagonal corners and drag.


The neat thing about Lucidchart is that you don't have to worry about proportion size because it has a lock feature, which keeps the object in proportional size.

These are the things I learned as I made went along. I've never used Lucidchart before, but because of my tech curiosity and Mr. Abud's recommendation, I tried it out.

However, since I couldn't use this in class due to slow Internet connection, I used it on an up-to-date MacBook, which has great Intel and Internet connection, at home.

The picture shows the menu options from top to bottom:
1) Text and standard boxes
2) Flowcharts
3) Containers
4) Shapes
5) Upload Image

To make the infographic, I creatively chose different colors for the divisions of ionic compounds, then molecular compounds, acids, etc. I then used differently-shaped boxes to list examples of different compounds. I used relevant pictures for each of the chemical compounds and placed them underneath the charts, but I had to drag the pictures onto my desktop first and then upload them onto Lucidchart.

In the boxes, I defined binary compounds as simply a metal and a nonmetal chemically combining due to opposite charges and attractions. I then chose NaCl as one and said that to write the formulas of binary compounds, the charges must add up to zero because ionic compounds form neutral charges, and if a compound had a positive charge and a negative charge that wasn't the opposite of the positive charge (e.g. -2 and 1), then you multiply the lesser charges, or both if necessary, by the least common multiple. This, I noticed, was the same way to write the formulas with ternary compounds. Ternary compounds are formed when a polyatomic ion and a metal element (sometimes a transition metal) chemically combine due to ionic charges. An example of a ternary compound is Na(NO3). An example of a ternary compound with a transition metal is Cu III PO4 because copper, a positively charged transition metal, can change its charge depending on the negatively charged nonmetal. Hence, as PO4 loses three electrons to neutralize its own charge, it simultaneously neutralizes copper's charge by making it less positive.

I also then defined a molecular compound, which I said was formed when nonmetal elements combine due to covalent bonding (sharing of electrons). Based on the number of electrons shared, this defines their negative charge (e.g. NO3 has -1 charge because nitrogen has one less negatively-charged electron than oxygen, hence the charge is -1).

Lastly, I mentioned acids, which I said could be formed as long as hydrogen was written first in the formula and made the charges of the compound neutral (e.g. acetate acid is neutral because the C2H2O3 gives one electron to the hydrogen, hence making acetate more positive and the hydrogen less positive.) But, either way, acids are like ionic compounds because they both have neutral charges.

To convey this information, I linked arrows to the boxes to whatever boxes pertained to those boxes. But, this seems confusing alone without any sort of way to differentiate the information, which is why I used different colors. I colored the boxes pertaining to ionic compounds in general yellow, binary compounds green, ternary compounds blue, transition metal ternary compounds light teal, acids grey, and molecular compounds peach.

In case I missed any information or left a few things vague, I made a list of the rules for writing chemical formulas for ionic and molecular compounds on the side.

These icons are ways to organize information.

Once I completed my infographic and shared via Twitter and Google Drive, I also wrote a blog reflection. I think that writing blog reflections is a good way to look at how other people organize the information they think is important to discuss. However, since I am a perfectionist, I also find one of the cons of reading other blogs to be that some don't put in the effort, some leave gaps in information, or some blog posts have not been posted. But, by looking at both the pros and cons, I can fairly assess other people's blogs and grade them based on the requirements they met, or lack thereof.

However, I am also hypersensitive to criticism. Since I put in a great detail of attention to blogs and update whenever necessary, I hate it if other people rate me a 3.5, not a 4, which is the highest grade possible.

I also think that reading other blogs can be helpful if I need to study for assessments and have gaps in my knowledge on chemistry that I need to fill.

The Various Ways Chemical Compounds Form …

Lastly, I learned further about writing chemical formulas and ascertaining what compounds will form after chemical reactions. As long as one knows the types of compounds that can be formed, it comes easily–as it did for me.

Single replacement reaction

The first type of reaction I learned about is a single replacement reaction, which forms when the diatomic atoms (Bromine, Iodine, Nitrogen, Chlorine, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Flourine) bond to themselves to form diatomic molecules (Br2, I2, etc) in order to form chemical compounds.

Next, I learned about double replacement reactions. Although this seems self-explanatory, I will explain. Think of four baskets of four fruits. Two of the baskets are in one group while the other two are in a different group. As soon as the traders decide to swap one of the baskets from each group, you get a different combination of fruits. This is how it works in order to form neutrally charged MgF2 + NaCl. MgCl2 + NaF ––––> MgF2 + NaCl is a perfect example of this. This forms a perfect product because the two still are ionic compounds wiht 1) metal + nonmetal 2) Have neutral charges. In a sense, these are like single replacement reactions because both may have diatomic elements that bond to themselves at times to balance the equation.

Then, I learned about combustion reactions, which are one of the easiest of compounds to remember because the reactants of hydrocarbon and an oxygen always form the products of carbon dioxide and water (e.g C3H8 + O2 ––––> CO2 + H2O). Although they combine to form neutrally-charged compounds, I'm not sure as to why C3H8 was combined the way it was without being neutrally charged and what happened to the remaining C2, H7, and how did the extra oxygen form from analready diatomic oxygen? Did it have to do with the fact that H2 + O2 ––––> H2O, and the extra O combined with C3H7?

Lastly, I learned about Synthesis and Decomposition. Synthesis forms when two diatomic reactants combine to form a single product (e.g. H2 + O2 ––––> H2O). Decomposition, on the other hand, is the inverted process of this. The single reactant chemically separates (decomposes) into two elements, whether one of them is diatomic or not (e.g. NaCl ––––> Na + diatomic Cl2). I, however, am not sure as to how a compound can decompose, and I want to know the chemistry behind it. I hypothesize that it may have to do with the fact that an electrical current can pass through and separate them, like when H2O ––––> H2 + O2 form during the electrolysis experiment.

Therefore, by understanding the different ways compounds form and decompose, one can get the basic understanding that this is how ionic, molecular, and acidic compounds form.

Synthesis reaction