Written By Dahlia Power and Khloe Kimmel
Recently in GATE, students have been learning all about chemical reactions and equations. Chemical equations are written a lot like math problems—but instead of numbers, they use molecules. Each equation shows the reactants (the starting materials), an arrow, and the products (what’s made after the reaction). To make sure both sides are equal, students balance the equations using coefficients.
For example, in the equation for photosynthesis —(CO₂ + H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + O₂) — you would put the number 6 in front of CO₂, H₂O, and O₂ to balance it.
Students are also using a hands-on science tool called the Happy Atoms Kit. This kit lets them build molecules, take pictures of them, and learn about their properties. Each piece is labeled, making it easy to use. Every time students work with the kits, they complete a packet that includes questions about different molecules and chemical bonds.
In class, they’ve also learned about different types of reactions:
- Synthesis reaction – when simple substances combine to make something more complex.
- Decomposition reaction – when complex substances break down into simpler ones.
- Replacement reaction – when one or two atoms switch places in a molecule.
Students have discovered that energy plays a big role, too.
- Exothermic reactions give off energy.
- Endothermic reactions absorb energy.
Other factors can affect how fast reactions happen. Surface area, for example, changes how materials react. Powdered sugar and regular sugar are made of the same substance, but powdered sugar dissolves faster—and tastes sweeter—because it has more surface area.
Temperature and concentration also matter: higher temperatures and more concentrated solutions make molecules collide faster, speeding up reactions. Catalysts help reactions happen by getting molecules to hit at the right angle, while inhibitors slow them down.
Finally, students explored combustion, or fire. Fire needs three things: heat, oxygen, and fuel. If you smother a fire, you cut off its oxygen. Spraying water cools the fire and coats the fuel so oxygen can’t reach it.
Through all these activities, GATE students are learning that chemistry isn’t just in textbooks—it’s happening all around us, every day.
The SAMS Salmon 