Unit 2: Atoms, Elements and Compounds (revised 2011)

Learn about the role of chemistry in the aluminum industry.

Green chemistry is a field that looks at the sustainability of products and processes designed by people.

Learn how vehicles affect air quality, including their contribution to smog.

Learn about vehicles that use hydrogen for fuel.

Learn about how to write and balance chemical equations.

Learn about the four main types of chemical reactions.

Learn how to tell if a chemical reaction has taken place.

Learn about the elements of the periodic table and how they are organized.

Learn about the special conditions that let some chemical reactions take place.

Learn about the physical and chemical properties of matter.

Students will explore career profiles and relate them to what they are learning in science class.

Learn about how catalytic converters make vehicle emissions less harmful.

Learn about the wide variety of fuels used in vehicles.

This backgrounder explains what greenhouse gases are and how they contribute to climate change.

What is the nitrogen cycle? How do human activities such as using fertilizer affect the nitrogen cycle? How can this cause greenhouse gases?