Name Date Class

Classifying Matter
Inquiry Warm-Up, What is a Mixture?
In the Inquiry Warm-Up, you investigated how to model a mixture and then separate the
substances that compose the mixture. Using what you learned from that activity, answer
the questions below.

1. CLASSIFY Look at the list of characteristics of each sorted group. What

characteristics, if any, do the sorted groups have in common? What
characteristics, if any, are different?

2. DEFINE What determines whether a type of matter is a substance?

3. POSE QUESTIONS Formulate one or two questions a person could

ask to help them determine whether a material is a substance or
a mixture.

4. APPLY CONCEPTS How is the model of a mixture in the activity like a

recipe mixture for pancakes? How is it different?
 Name Date Class

Classifying Matter
What Is Matter Made Of?

1a. REVIEW What holds the hydrogen and oxygen atoms together in a
water molecule?

b. IDENTIFY Table sugar has the chemical formula C12H22O11. What

is the ratio of carbon atoms to oxygen atoms in this compound?

c. DRAW CONCLUSIONS Two formulas for compounds containing

hydrogen and oxygen are H2O and H2O2. Do these formulas
represent the same compound? Explain.

I get it! Now I know that all matter is made up of

I need extra help with

What Are Two Types of Mixtures?

I get it! Now I know that the two types of mixtures are

I need extra help with

Name Date Class

Classifying Matter

On a separate sheet of paper, explain how the following terms are related: element,
atom, molecule, chemical bond, compound, mixture, and substance.
 Name Date Class

Classifying Matter
Understanding Main Ideas
Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper.

1. Describe the basic particle from which all elements are made.
2. How are elements and compounds related?
3. What is the difference between a chemical symbol and a
chemical formula?
4. What are two ways in which mixtures differ from compounds?
5. List four methods that can be used to separate mixtures.

Building Vocabulary
Match each term with its definition by writing the letter of the correct definition in the
right column on the line beside the term in the left column.

6. ___ atom a. shows the elements and ratio of atoms in a

compound
7. ___ chemical bond b. a group of two or more atoms held together by
chemical bonds
8. ___ molecule c. a substance made of two or more elements
chemically combined in a set ratio
9. ___ element
d. a substance that cannot be broken down into any
10. ___ chemical formula other substance
e. two or more substances together in the same place
11. ___ compound but not chemically combined
f. the basic particle of any element
12. ___ mixture g. the force of attraction between two atoms
 Name Date Class

Classifying Matter
Collect the items in the materials list and perform the steps in the procedure. Then
answer the questions that follow on a separate piece of paper.

Separating a Mixture
Materials
mixture made of sand, sugar, and wood chips
plastic dishpan strainer
slotted spoon coffee filters
measuring cup tap water
colander wooden spoons

Procedure
1. Place several cups of the sand, sugar, and wood chip mixture in the
plastic dishpan.
2. Carefully add enough water to the dishpan to cover the mixture.
3. Devise a plan to separate the three ingredients in the mixture, using
only the materials listed above.
4. After obtaining your teacher’s approval, try out your plan.

Analyze and Conclude

1. How were you able to separate the wood chips from the mixture?
2. How were you able to separate the sand from the mixture?
3. How could you separate the sugar from the mixture?
4. Did any of the ingredients form a solution with the water? How can
you tell?
 Name Date Class

Classifying Matter
Write the letter of the correct answer on the line at the left.

1. ___ A molecule is the smallest part of

A an element 2. ___ A mixture of iron and sulfur can be
separated by
B a compound
A magnetic attraction
C a substance
B distillation
D an atom
C evaporation
D filtration
3. ___ Compounds are formed as a result of
A physical combination 4. ___ The ratio of hydrogen atoms to sulfur
B chemical combination atoms in sulfuric acid, H2SO4 is
C distillation A 2 to 4
D filtration B 1 to 2
C 2 to 1
D 1 to 4

If the statement is true, write true. If the statement is false, change the underlined word
or words to make the statement true.

5. _____________ Salad dressing is an example of a homogeneous mixture.

6. _____________ The simplest type of substance is a(n) compound.

7. _____________ When elements combine to form compounds, their properties

do not change.

8. _____________ The chemical symbol for water is H2O.

9. _____________ Substances in a mixture keep their own properties.

10. _____________ The substances in a heterogeneous mixture can usually be seen

and are easily separated.
Classifying Matter
Answer Key

2. A compound is made of two or more elements

1. Answers will vary. Sample: Objects in the
sorted groups are all solid, small, rigid;
differences: colors, some sizes
2. Answers will vary. Sample: It is a substance if it
is pure and has a specific set of properties.
3. Answers will vary. Sample: Can the material
be separated into two or more
materials that
have different properties?
4. Answers will vary. Sample: The model of a
mixture is made up of materials that have
different properties like a recipe for pancakes
that uses ingredients to make a mixture. The
materials mixed in the activity do not blend
together and can be easily sorted again,
unlike a recipe mixture for pancakes where
the ingredients blend and can not be easily
separated.
10. a
that are chemically combined. Compounds have
properties that are different from those of the
uncombined elements.
3. A chemical symbol is a one- or two-letter
“abbreviation” for an element. A chemical
formula represents a compound. It shows the
elements in the compound and the ratios in
which their atoms combine.
4. Each substance in a mixture keeps its individual
properties. The parts of a mixture are not
combined in a set ratio.
5. Mixtures can be separated by filtration,
evaporation, distillation, and magnetic
attraction.
6. f 7. g 8. b 9. d
11. c 12. e

Elements are made up of atoms. Atoms of most

elements can combine with other elements by
forming a chemical bond. In many cases, the
result of the chemical bond is a particle called a
molecule. Sometimes the molecule is made of
atoms of different elements; sometimes it is made
of atoms of the same element. When the atoms
of two or more elements are chemically bonded,
a compound is formed. Elements and compounds
are substances. Mixtures are not substances.
A mixture is made of two or more substances
held together in the same place, but whose
atoms are not chemically combined.
1. The wood chips floated on the surface of the
water and were removed from the mixture
using either the strainer or the slotted spoon.
2. Once the wood chips were separated from the
mixture, the sand could be removed by carefully
pouring the mixture through the strainer lined
with a coffee filter.
3. The sugar can be separated from the water by
allowing the water to evaporate.
4. Yes. The water and sugar formed a solution
because the two parts were so evenly mixed
that you could not see them.

1. All elements are made of atoms. An atom has

a positively charged nucleus surrounded by a
negatively charged “cloud.”
1. C 2. A
3. B 4. C
5. heterogeneous 6. element
7. do 8. formula
9. true 10. true