Scientific Inquiry Students conduct an investigation, baking several cakes with a different ingredient left out of each trial. Students use evidence from their investigation to explain the differences between the several cakes and to decide how the change in ingredients changed the cake's appearance. A characteristic property of glucose is it turns brown when exposed to heat. A characteristic property of solid shortening is it can trap gas in its structure, whereas liquid oils can not. A cake made with solid shortening will be slightly taller and will have smaller air pockets than cakes made with oil.
Substances react chemically in characteristic ways with other substances to form new substances.
A cake without baking powder is dense. The physical properties of compounds reflect the nature of the interactions among their molecules. Methyl cellulose creates a structure that traps carbon dioxide, leading the cake to rise more during baking than a cake lacking methyl cellulose. Chemical Reactions, Grades 9-12 Many important reactions involve the transfer of hydrogen ions between reacting ions, molecules, or atoms. Chemical reactions occur all around us, for example in cooking.