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What Does a Chemist Do? Careers in Science

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What Does a Chemist Do?
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 5 to 8
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	8.5

Vocabulary

challenging words:

spandex, half-century, polyester, synthetic, element, ozone, chemist, nylon, agriculture, microscope, lightweight, electronic, fuel, natural, discover, knowledge

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Other Languages
     Spanish: ¿A QUÉ SE DEDICAN LOS QUÍMICOS?

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What Does a Chemist Do? By Cindy Grigg

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¹     Everything in our world is made up of chemicals. Yes, even people! A chemist studies chemicals, matter and its properties, and atoms. Atoms are the smallest particles of an element that still have the properties of that element. For instance, you can take a piece of aluminum and cut it into pieces, and it still is a shiny, lightweight metal. If you could cut that aluminum into pieces that are too small to see with your eyes, or even with a good microscope, it would still be a piece of aluminum.
 
²     Chemists study atoms and how they join together. For example, flour, sugar, eggs, and chocolate chips can join together to make chocolate chip cookies. However, if you first melt the chocolate, you will get a different kind of cookie. It will be chocolate all through without the chips of chocolate in it. In a similar way, the same atoms can join together in different ways and make completely different substances. For instance, the chemical formula for oxygen is O₂. This means that oxygen is made up of two atoms of oxygen joined together. This is like a "recipe" for oxygen. If we change .....
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Careers in Science

Careers in Science

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Labor Day

Labor Day

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Science

Science

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Moon         Natural Disasters         Photosynthesis         Plant and Animal Cells         Plants         Rocks and Minerals         Science Process Skills         Scientific Notation         Seasons         Simple Machines         Soil         Solar System         Sound         Space and Stars         Sun         Tsunami         Volcanoes         Water Cycle         Water         Weather

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