Chemical Symbols, Formulas,

and Equations

Tootsie Pop Chemistry

Supplies

• Tootsie-Pop (different color for each person in the group)

• Colored pencils• Colored squares of paper to

represent additional pop wrappers• Arrows and + signs• Science notebooks

PurposeUse chemical symbols to

represent chemical formulas and

equations.

If the flavors of Tootsie-Roll Pops

represent different atoms or elements, how many different combinations can

your group create?

•In your notebook, draw a picture of each combination.

•Which group can find the most combinations within 3 minutes?

• How many different kinds of atoms are represented by your Tootsie-Roll Pops?

• How many different combinations did your group make?

• Do you think any other group had the same combinations as your group did?

• Were there other combinations your group didn’t think of?

•What might this activity suggest about elements?

•Draw a picture description of this combination.

•Now write a description of this combination in words.

Can you think of a better way?

• Drawing pictures or writing out descriptions is quite tiresome and time-consuming.

• Let’s give each color a symbol.

• You can unwrap your lollipop now!!!

•Grape – G•Cherry – Ch•Chocolate – Cc•Orange – Or•Green – Gn•Raspberry -R

•Make three different combinations using the wrappers and describe them using the color symbols.

Use symbols to describe the following combinations:

• orange and chocolate

• chocolate, grape, and cherry

• grape, cherry, orange, and green

•OrCc

•CcGCh

•GChOrGn

• Sets of symbols like GCh and OrCcG are called formulas. Each symbol represents one kind of atom.

• If you have more than one of the same kind of atom in a formula you place that number after and a little below the line to show the number of atoms.

• This number is called a subscript.

• Example – Or2Cc

• Using the wrappers and colored paper squares, arrange the ‘atoms’ in the following combinations.

• If there is more than one ‘atom’, place the same ‘atoms’ on top of each other, but make sure you can count how many there are.

3 cherries and 5 chocolates

Now write the formula -

Ch3Cc5

1 orange and 2 grapes

OrG2

4 chocolates, 2 greens, 3 cherries

Cc4Gn2Ch3

Law of Conservation of Mass

• Matter can neither be created nor destroyed during a chemical change.

• The total mass of all substances must be equal to the total mass after a chemical change.

• There can be no loss of mass nor gain of mass during a chemical change.

OrCh2 + CcG2 OrCcG4 + CcCh2

• Make the following combinations with your wrappers and papers.

• Compare and record the number of ‘atoms’ on each side of the arrow.

_____ Or _____ Or

_____ Ch _____ Ch

_____ Cc _____ Cc

_____ G _____ G

CcG + OrGn2 OrG2 + CcGn

Or + Ch2 Ch2Or

G + R2Ch RChG + R2

What needs to be done to have these

combinations of atoms obey the Law of

Conservation of Mass?

Stay tuned…….

Tomorrow we will use coefficients to balance

these equations!!