Oxidation and Rust

Lab Brief #9

🎯 Your mission

Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).

⚡ The twist

Color changes mean atoms are rearranging — even if you can't see them.

What you'll learn

Oxidation is a chemical reaction in which a substance combines with oxygen. When iron oxidizes in the presence of water and air, it forms rust, a flaky reddish-brown coating that weakens the metal.

Key words

chemical bond
The force that holds atoms together to make a substance.

Make a hypothesis first

Before you mix: what color do you think it'll turn?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

salt

⚠️ Safety first

Keep strong magnets away from phones, bank cards and anyone with a pacemaker.
Mop up spills straight away so nobody slips, and keep liquids away from sockets.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Separate a mixture of sand, salt, and iron filings using a magnet, water, and a filter. Record each step and what you separated.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Draw a detailed diagram of what you observe.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion: what did your results show? Did they match your prediction?

Question 1 of 3

What type of substance speeds up a chemical reaction without being used up?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 3

What is an example of a physical change?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 3 of 3

Which is an example of a chemical change?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🧪 If you could remove all the empty space from atoms, the entire human race would fit in a sugar cube.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 3 right.

All lessons

🎯

Next Smart Experiment

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This is happening in your kitchen right now — every time food cooks.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Find one ingredient in a snack and look up what it does.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's something we cook that mixes things together this way?”

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