Year 9 students have been studying Chemistry for the start of Term 2. Students have conducted a number of practical investigations and been asked explain observable chemical process in terms of changes in atomic structure, atomic rearrangement and mass. As part of the Law of Conservation of mass practical investigation, students had to determine whether mass changes when two substances react. Students created an open and closed system where they reacted acetic acid with sodium bicarbonate on a electronic balance and recorded the change in mass. Students were able to use their experimental data to support to draw conclusions that supported the theory behind the Law of Conservation.

Students have also been exploring the properties of substances using the pH scale. Students tested 30 household chemicals with blue litmus paper, universal indicator and pH paper. From their results they were able to classify the different substances as either neutral, acidic or alkaline.