Skill . Formulating research questions and investigations in chemistry

Skill 1.1 Formulating research questions and investigations in chemistry 

While an inquiry may start at any point in this method and may not involve all of the steps here is the pattern. 

Scientific questions result from observations of events in nature or events observed in the laboratory. An observation is not just a look at what happens. It also includes measurements and careful records of the event. Records could include photos, drawings, or written descriptions. The observations and data collection lead to a question. In chemistry, observations almost always deal with the behavior of matter. Having arrived at a question, a scientist usually researches the scientific literature to see what is known about the question. Maybe the question has already been answered. The scientist then may want to test the answer found in the literature. Or, maybe the research will lead to a new question. 

Sometimes the same observations are made over and over again and are always the same. For example, you can observe that daylight lasts longer in summer than in winter. This observation never varies. Such observations are called laws of nature. Probably the most important law in chemistry was discovered in the late 1700s. Chemists observed that no mass was ever lost or gained in chemical reactions. This law became known as the law of conservation of mass. 

Explaining this law was a major topic of chemistry in the early 19th century. 

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