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Matter Lab 6-8 / Week 11 / Friday
5/6
Week 11 · From Nature to New Materials

Friday

Sorting the Bench
// Paper from wood, plastic from oil, glass from sand, steel from iron ore
⏱ about 20 min

Friday: Sorting the Bench

Rocket spreads every Bench supply across the table. "Natural on the left, synthetic on the right," he says.

Raven picks up the salt. "Careful. Salt is cleaned and packed before it reaches us. Is it a new substance, though?"

"Natural," Rocket decides. "Nothing turned it into a new substance. It is still salt."

Nova hovers over the foam cups. "And these?" she asks. "Think about Tuesday, and what the small molecules did."

"Polymer. Synthetic," Rocket says, sliding them right. "Oil or gas, joined into chains."

Raven lays the glass jar in the middle. "Sand, melted and cooled. New structure. What do you notice?"

"New properties," Rocket says. "Synthetic. Right side."

Nova dims her light. "Now you know your building materials."

The sorting rule

Ask one question: did a chemical process turn a natural resource into a new substance with new properties?

If yes, the material is synthetic. Plastic, glass, steel and paper all pass through such a process.

If no, it is a natural material. Water, salt, sugar, baking soda and cooking oil are cleaned and packaged, but they are still the same substances.

Some cases are tricky. Paper is made of natural cellulose fibers, but pulping, pressing and drying rearrange them into a new material.

Bench supplyNatural resource behind itNatural or synthetic?
WaterWater, used as it isNatural
SaltSalt, cleaned and packed, still saltNatural
Paper towelsWood fibersSynthetic material from a natural fiber
Foam cups and zip bagsPetroleum or natural gasSynthetic
Glass jarSilica sandSynthetic
Steel spoonIron oreSynthetic
SORT THE BENCH
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
A zip bag is made of polyethylene. Which side of the Bench does it go on?
Baking soda is cleaned and packaged but is still the same substance. Which side?
Why does the glass jar count as synthetic?

Week review

Week reviewTrue or false?
Synthetic materials come from natural resources through a chemical process.?
Pulp is a mix of cellulose fibers and water.?
A polymer is a small molecule.?
Steel is iron combined with a small amount of carbon.?
In 2018, plastics had a higher recycling rate than paper.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThese are the facts you will lean on when you choose materials for your week 12 device.
OUR WEEK, IN ORDER
  • ?We sorted natural resources from synthetic materials.
  • ?We read a government table on recycling and landfills.
  • ?We tested paper, foil, plastic and glass for water, light and bending.
  • ?We sorted the whole Bench for next week's build.
  • ?We traced wood, oil, sand and ore to paper, plastic, glass and steel.
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe week moved from a pile on the table to a plan for what each material can do.
A material made by people from natural resources through a chemical process is ____.
Foam cups and zip bags are made of ____, giant chain molecules.
About what percent of iron ore is used in steelmaking? Type the number.
WHY THIS EXERCISEIt shows how one natural resource feeds one huge synthetic material.

Looking ahead

Next week is Design at the Bench. You will choose a device: an insulated cup, a cold pack or a fizzing boat.

You will pick materials by their properties, set criteria and constraints, build, test, measure and improve.

Start thinking now: which Bench materials slow heat? Which hold liquid? Which float?

Try it
Sort your own Bench into natural and synthetic piles. Take a photo in your mind, or draw it.
For each synthetic item, say its natural resource out loud. Record any you are unsure about.
Draw your Bench sorted into two sides, natural and synthetic. Label every item and its natural resource.

Strong week, materials scientist. Tomorrow is Bench Day: a family hunt for where things come from.

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