| Substance | Properties | Experimental uses etc | Chemical Formula |
| calcium carbonate | limstone, chalk, marble | vigorous effervescence with acids - carbon dioxide produced | CaCO3 |
| calcium chloride | very good drying agent. white solid | produced with CO2 when calcium carbonate added to acids | CaCl2 |
| calcium oxide (quicklime) | lumpy white solid | absorbs carbon dioxide. reacts with and absorbs water. | CaO |
| carbon | black solid, or in the presence of oxygen a colourless gas (CO2) | | C |
| carbon dioxide | gas denser than air | important greenhouse gas | CO2 |
| carbon monoxide | colourless, odourless gas, highly poisonous. burns with blue flame, highly flammable | stops ozygen from moving blood around body | CO |
| copper | metal. element. reddy/brown. | reacts with oxygen to produce copper oxide, which reacts with hydrogen to form water (+ copper) | Cu |
| copper oxide | black solid | + hydrogen = water (and copper) | CuO |
| hydrochloric acid | colourless, corrosive (reacts with limestone, calcium carbonate - to form CO2) | reacts with limestone to form CO2. Dissolves readily in water | HCl |
| hydrogen | gas, density only 1/5 of air (can be poured upwards), flamable, burns with a squeaky pop | | H2 |
| hydrogen chloride | gas, colourless, denser than air, choking, corrosive | makes hydrochloric acid when contact made with air (fumes appear) | HCl |
| magnesium | metal with low density. vigorous effervescence when added to hydrochloric and sulfuric acids | dissolves in acids to form hydrogen | Mg |
| methane | colourless gas (natural gas), burns with blue flame | greenhouse gas | CH4 |
| nitric acid | boiling temperature of 80 C, colourless, attacks skin staining it bright yellow. Dissolves most metals | made from sodium nitrate + sulfuric acid. Important in military and industrial explosives eg nitrocellulose (nitric + sulphuric acid + cotton) | HNO3 |
| oxygen | gas, colourless, element, rekindles a glowing splint | | O |
| soda lime | white solid | produced from quicklime + caustic soda. absorbs carbon dioxide | |
| sodium chloride | common salt | makes hydrogen chloride when added to sulfuric acid (and thus, hydrochloric acid) | NaCl |
| sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) | | added to quicklime to absorb water vapour less strongly, to produce soda lime - also an excellent absorber of CO2 | NaOH |
| sodium nitrate | dissolves in hot water, but not in cold. White crystals | made from caliche. Fertilizers. Makes nitric acid | NaNO3 |
| sugar | white solid | makes carbon when heated, in the form of charcoal (releasing water content as vapour) | C12H22 O11 |
| sulfuric acid | colourless, dense, corrosive, oily liquid, absorbs water strongly in concentrate form | preparation of nitric acid and hydrogen chloride; drying agent for gases and in desiccators, used to develop concept of acids | H2SO4 |
| water | colourless liquid, or colourless gas (vapour) or colourless solid (ice). 2 parts hydrogen to one part oxygen | | H2O |