Students will encounter a puzzling chemical phenomenon, analyze observable property differences between substances, and develop focused, investigable research questions with hypotheses that will guide their multi-phase investigation into ionic and covalent bonding.

Students will design a rigorous, testable methodology to investigate how ionic and covalent bonds influence measurable physical properties of substances. They will align their research questions to appropriate experimental approaches, identify and control variables, develop detailed data collection and quality-control plans, conduct peer review of protocols, and revise their methodology before beginning data collection.

Students will systematically collect quantitative data on melting point, solubility, and conductivity for selected ionic and covalent substances, documenting procedures, conditions, anomalies, and quality-control measures in professional research notebooks to generate a reliable evidence base for later analysis.

Students will transform raw conductivity, solubility, and melting point data into meaningful evidence by generating professional data visualizations, identifying patterns and anomalies, debating interpretations with peers, and determining whether their findings support, contradict, or complicate their original hypotheses about ionic and covalent bonding.

Students will synthesize their experimental findings on ionic and covalent bonding into evidence-based conclusions, explicitly acknowledge methodological limitations, generate new investigable questions, and present a professional investigation report and exhibit to authentic audiences at the Chemical Connection Fair.