The Chemistry Bench

Eight words from the chemistry bench, and every way to know them.

Meet each word one at a time, then take the quiz to lock them in.

1. 1 mixture noun
2. 2 particle noun
3. 3 measure verb
4. 4 combine verb
5. 5 delicate adjective
6. 6 vivid adjective
7. 7 gradually adverb
8. 8 seriously adverb

Nelson's word

noun

Mixture. A noun. I file it under two or more things stirred together until they share one bowl: flour and sugar and eggs, folded into a single batter. Every part is still in there, though you can no longer pick them out one by one. Notice the tail, that little t-u-r-e, which names the result of an act: a mixture is the result of mixing. File it beside blend and combination, and state it precisely: a mixture is what you get when things are stirred together.

The baker poured the mixture of flour, sugar, and eggs into the pan.

Nelson's word

noun

Particle. A noun, and a small one, which suits it, because a particle is a very tiny piece of something. A speck of dust, a grain of sand, a fleck of pepper: each one is a particle. When a scientist studies what a thing is made of, she looks at the smallest particles that build it. File it near speck, grain, and fleck, the whole family of the very small. When something is broken down to particles, it is broken down as far as it will go.

A single particle of dust drifted through the beam of light.

Vinny's word

verb

Measure! To find the size, the amount, the weight of a thing, exactly, no guessing! When the scientists measure the liquid, they hold it to the mark and read the truth of it. That is the verb, and it is mine, because measuring is an ACT, careful and bold at once. But watch this word closely, because it has a secret identity. Say a generous measure of flour, and suddenly measure is a naming word, an amount, and that hat belongs to Nelson. Same spelling, two jobs. We sort the hats in Practice.

The scientists measure the liquid before they pour it into the beaker.

Vinny's word

verb

Combine! To take two things, or three, or ten, and JOIN them into one! When the cooks combine the eggs and the milk, two separate things become a single batter. That is the verb, and it is mine, a heroic little act of bringing together. Look at the front, com, which means with or together; to combine is to bring together with. Its shadow is to separate, to pull apart, and every time I combine, I do the opposite: I unite.

The cooks combine the eggs and the milk in one large bowl.

Jake's word

adjective

Delicate. Oh, this is a careful one, and it is mine. As an adjective, delicate describes a thing so easily broken or damaged that it needs gentle hands: a delicate glass beaker, a delicate flower, a delicate web of thread. Its Frown is sturdy, the thing that takes a knock and holds. Could we be more specific than saying a thing was weak? We could say it was delicate, which tells the reader to handle it with care. Same picture, sharper edges. Magnifique.

The delicate glass beaker cracked the moment it touched the cold sink.

Jake's word

adjective

Vivid. When a color is very bright, when a picture is so clear it seems to leap off the page, when a memory feels alive in your mind, it is vivid. A vivid blue flame, a vivid dream, a vivid description you can almost touch. Its Frown is dull, the faded and the faint. Could we be more specific than saying a color was nice? We could call it vivid, and let the reader feel how bright and strong it burns. Say it, and the picture lights up.

The vivid blue of the flame lit up the whole dark laboratory.

Benny's word

adverb

Gradually. An adverb, and it is mine, the way I coach every careful worker. Gradually means little by little, in slow, patient steps, never all at once. The mixture gradually turns from clear to green; the sun gradually climbs the morning sky. When you want to show a change that takes its time, gradually is the word that slows the reader down to watch it happen. Make your writing sharper: instead of saying a thing simply changed, tell us it changed gradually, and let the reader feel every step.

The mixture gradually turned from clear to a deep, glowing green.

Benny's word

adverb

Seriously. An adverb, mine, and a word with weight. Seriously means in a way that means business, not joking around. She studied the results seriously, checking each number twice, because careful work deserves a careful mind. When you take a task seriously, you give it your full attention and your best effort. You can do better than saying someone just worked; tell us they worked seriously, and the reader knows exactly how much it mattered. That is the sharper word, and now it is yours.

She studied the results seriously, checking each number twice.