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8th grade Elements and compounds worksheet

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Elements and compounds

Grade 8 Science Worksheet

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Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. A tray holds 3 units of Mg(NO₃)₂. How many oxygen atoms are on the tray in all, Ari?

  2. Bo's sheet lists 4 units of Al₂(SO₄)₃. How many oxygen atoms is that altogether?

  3. A bag holds 3 units of Ca₃(PO₄)₂. How many oxygen atoms does Esme count in the bag?

  4. Which box holds a mixture of an element and a compound, Jun?

    • Box D: O₂ pairs and CO₂ groups together
    • Box B, since its balls are joined in pairs
    • Box C, since it has two kinds of atoms in a group
    • Box A, since it holds single balls of one kind
  5. Which box holds one element made of molecules (joined atoms), Luz?

    • Box A, since it is a pure element of single balls
    • Box C, since every group in it is identical
    • Box B, since the joined atoms are all one kind
    • Box D, since it holds joined pairs of atoms
  6. Read this first

    Burning a metal in air (example data)

    propertybefore burningafter burning
    appearanceshiny gray metalwhite powder
    melting point (°C)6602072
    mass (g)2.75.1
  7. A shiny metal burns in air and leaves a white powder. What do the data show, Milo?

    • A new substance formed, since the melting point changed
    • A physical change, since the metal just got hotter and brighter
    • Mass was created, since 5.1 g is more than the 2.7 g
    • No new substance, since a melting point cannot ever change
  8. Melting ice (example data)

    propertyiceliquid after melting
    statesolidliquid
    freezing or melting point (°C)00
    density (g/cm³)0.921.00
  9. Ice melts in a cup. Which conclusion do the data support, Noah?

    • Chemical: the density changed from 0.92 to 1.00
    • Chemical: it needed heat to make the change
    • Physical: it still freezes at 0 °C, so it is water
    • Chemical: it changed from a solid to a liquid state
  10. Hydrogen, oxygen and water (example data)

    substancestate at room temperaturewith a flame
    hydrogen (H₂)gasburns
    oxygen (O₂)gashelps things burn
    water (H₂O)liquidputs out many fires
  11. What does the table show about water compared with hydrogen and oxygen, Ren?

    • Water is just hydrogen and oxygen gas stirred together
    • Water has its own properties: a liquid that does not burn
    • Water burns the same way, since hydrogen burns
    • Water acts like a mix of the two gases it is made of
  12. Sodium, chlorine and sodium chloride (example data)

    substanceappearancewith water
    sodium (Na)soft shiny metalreacts strongly
    chlorine (Cl₂)yellow-green gasdissolves a little
    sodium chloride (NaCl)white crystalsdissolves without a strong reaction
  13. Which statement does the table support about sodium chloride, Tala?

    • NaCl has properties unlike either element in it
    • NaCl reacts strongly with water, since sodium does
    • NaCl is a gas, since chlorine is in it
    • NaCl is a shiny metal, since sodium is in it
  14. Carbon, oxygen and carbon dioxide (example data)

    substancestate at room temperaturewith a flame
    carbon (C)black solidburns
    oxygen (O₂)gashelps things burn
    carbon dioxide (CO₂)gasdoes not burn and is used in some fire extinguishers
  15. Which statement does the table support about carbon dioxide, Zee?

    • CO₂ burns just like carbon does in air
    • CO₂ differs from both carbon and oxygen
    • CO₂ is a black solid, since carbon is in it
    • CO₂ helps things burn, since oxygen does
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8th grade Elements and compounds worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Elements and compounds. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can sort a substance as an element (one kind of atom) or a compound (two or more kinds joined), from its formula or a particle box, and give the reason.
  • I can count atoms: all the atoms in a number of molecules, and the atoms of one element in a formula with a coefficient and brackets (3 Mg(NO₃)₂).
  • I can tell a compound from a mixture in a particle box, and say that a compound has its own properties.
  • I can use before-and-after data (melting point, mass, gas, color) to decide whether a new substance formed.
  • I can explain with a particle model why atoms are rearranged, not made or lost, and use a fixed mass ratio (water is about 1 g of hydrogen to 8 g of oxygen).
  • I can judge test evidence: separating points to a mixture, splitting points to a compound, and a test that fails to split a substance does not prove it is an element.

Words to know

element: A pure substance made of one kind of atom

compound: A pure substance of two or more kinds of atoms joined together

molecule: A group of atoms joined together; it can be one kind or several

kind of atom: Which element an atom is: every H atom is one kind

mixture: Substances stirred together but not joined

property: Something you can observe or measure, like color, state or melting point

coefficient: The number in front of a formula: how many units there are

Common mistakes

Your child counted the atoms in one molecule only. A number in front of a formula says how many molecules there are, so multiply by it.

Your child counted the kinds of atoms instead of all the atoms. Kinds are the different symbols; the question wants every atom, so add the subscripts.

Your child called a molecule a compound because it has several joined atoms. An element can have joined atoms if they are all the same kind.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with elements and compounds?

Your child counted the atoms in one molecule only. A number in front of a formula says how many molecules there are, so multiply by it.

Are these 8th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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