Science Assessment ~ Topics ~ Substances, Chemical Reactions, and Conservation of Matter ~ Misconception SCM026

The atoms of the reactants of a chemical reaction are transformed into other atoms (Andersson, 1986).

Items that test for misconception SCM026 in this project (THSB) and key idea (When substances interact to form ne…)
Item ID Number	Item Description	How Often the Misconception was Chosen
SC035004	During a chemical reaction, atoms stay the same but rearrange to form new molecules.	43%
SB004003	After a chemical reaction occurs, some of the atoms are connected to different atoms than they were in the starting molecules. (This item uses circles to represent atoms.)	42%
SB057001	When nitric acid and copper react, the atoms detach from one another and then link together in different ways to make the molecules of the red gas and green liquid.	23%

Items that test for misconception SCM026 in this project (THSB) and other key ideas
SB051001	The mass of a glow stick will not change while the chemical reaction is occurring because the number of each type of atom inside the glow stick does not change. Some of the atoms separated from one another and then connected in different ways to form different molecules.	29%
ME062001	When kelp grows, it takes in atoms from the environment that become part of the kelp.	27%
SB001002	The mass of a silver coin is greater after it tarnishes because the number of silver atoms stayed the same and some sulfur atoms from the air linked to the silver atoms to form silver sulfide molecules.	22%
ME022001	Matter is not created when living organisms grow. The matter added to their bodies comes from atoms that were outside the organism.	13%