Blog 7.1 Flame Tests and Emission Spectra

Conclusion:

1.  After seeing the spectra of various elements in this lab, why do you think an element’s spectrum is often called its “fingerprint?”   Explain using the terms ground state, excited state, and electron configuration.

2. Explain how a spectra is formed. Make sure to include the process and the steps that occur. This is important that you can describe what happens during the changes between ground and excited state, and how energy is released and absorbed.

ENRICHMENT:

1.  Research the discovery of the element Helium, and why it is given the name it has.

2.  Find out how astronomers use what is called a “red shift” or a “blue shift” to know whether a galaxy is moving towards or away from our galaxy.  To do this:

a)  Explain what blue shifts and red shifts are, and what they have to do with an element’s spectrum.

b)  Explain how the ratio of blue shift to red shift galaxies is used as evidence that the universe is expanding.

c)  Find out what Sir Edwin Hubble had to do with all this.  

Lab 6.1 Double Replacement Reactions

In our lab we looked at many different scenarios where a double replacement reaction either resulted in no apparent change, or the formation of a precipitate.

First, take a look at your predictions. Where they all accurate? If not explain which ones did not match up. See if you can figure out what happened. There was one trial that had results that did not match up with the expected prediction. Where you able to find it, which one was it? What do you think the insoluble product was, this will go against what table F tells us!!

Write a procedure on how to write a double replacement reaction. You can do this with bullets or paragraph form. The steps that you must have include: finding and writing the formulas for the products, balancing the reaction, and finding the precipitate. Describe theses steps (and more if you need them in detail, don't just give me a list of what I just gave you!!)





Precipitation reactions are very important in water treatment and purification. Find a contaminant that is removed from waste water before it is processed back into nature using a precipitation reaction (hint do a google search). See if this reaction is consistent with the information on Table F (it depends on the ion that is used). Sulfate is an ion that is often used to form precipitates, using Table F why is this a good choice.

5.1 Rates of Reaction

Ok, so the last experiment that we did really focused in on the reasons that a reaction will proceed at a certain rate. The way that you will need to think about this process has to do with particle collisions and how they influence how fast the reaction will happen. For a reaction to happen we need what is called an effective collision. This means that the particles have collided in such a way that there will be a chemical reaction. The changes we made in the lab, influence the number of effective collisions that were occuring.

The first thing that we did in the lab was try to make a plan so that you could determine how the lab would be done so that you could tell how changing each variable would influence what happened. Describe quickly what you did in the experiment. Include in this description why it was important that you controlled the variables in a certain manner. Why was your procedure effective at determining how each variable influence on the rate? What would happen if you changed multiple variables at the the same time?

By changing the concentration of the vinegar, the temperature of the vinegar, and the amount that the tablet was crushed the rate of reaction was changed. Describe, using particle collisions why each variable changed the rate. Also describe if the results in your experiment were consistent with what you expected to happen. If they aren't, describe something that could have gone wrong in the process.

Enrichment: Do some online research and find an example of a real-life catalyst. Find out what changes in the reaction and how that has a significant influence on the rate of reaction. If you need help getting started catalysts are often used in industrial processes in order to make reactions more efficient. Also, you could look at enzymes and see specifically how they change a biological process.

Lab 4.2 Heating and Cooling Curves of Lauric Acid

Now that you have had the chance to digest the heating and cooling curve process a little bit, I am going to ask you guys to think about what happened in the process. Here are two graphs produced from Jake Eggleston and Nate Gillian's data.






Paragraph #1: Take a look at the graph that you made as a result of the data that you collected. Identify the melting point of lauric acid from the above graph. Identify the freezing point from the second graph that you made [many of you put the on the same axis, which is fine]. Are these two values the same (and should they be the same)? Explain how you determined the freezing and melting points from your data.

Paragraph #2: As you heat a substance to its melting point and through the phase change there are changes that occur in both kinetic and potential energy. Explain what kinetic energy is and when it is increasing during your heating curve and decreasing in your cooling curve. Explain what potential energy is, and also explain when it is increasing and decreasing in your curves.

Enrichment:

Lauric acid of course has an actual melting point. Find the actual melting point and compare it to your data. Calculate the percent error and predict a reason why you were high or low (the thermometers are accurate, so don't blame them.)

Find out more about lauric acid. Maybe what it is used for, or could potentially be used for, find its chemical formula, structure, anything relevant about the chemical. Reference the source that you used to find the information.

Blog 4.1 Fun With Air Pressure

Answer each of the following AND Explain!!! 

I am looking for you understanding of how and why the particles in the gases cause the change that you are predicting.

You will not receive full credit if you do not explain with complete sentences.

  

1. A decrease in pressure causes the volume of a balloon to _______________________.

                                                                                       (increase, decrease or stay the same?)

2. Adding more gas to a bottle ____________________ the pressure in that bottle.

                                                       (increases or decreases?)

3. As the volume of a cylinder is increased the pressure will __________________________.

                                                                                                    (increase, decrease or stay the same?)

4. Increasing the pressure in a tire by adding more gas will cause the volume to _______________ .

                                                           (increase, decrease or stay the same?)

5. As the temperature of a closed container of water is increased the amount of water vapor  above the water causes a(n) _________________________ in vapor pressure.

                                          (increase, decrease or no change?)

6. As the air pressure above a liquid is increased by adding more air, the boiling point of the liquid will _____________________.  (increase, decrease, or remain the same?)

7. If a balloon filled with air is taken under water to a depth of 10 feet, it’s volume will ______________________ . (increase, decrease, or remain the same?)

8. The temperature of a beaker of boiling water will __________________ as more heat is  added.                                                                                  (increase, decrease, or remain the same?)

  

9. Hot air rises because it is _____________ dense the cold air around it.  

                                                  (less or more?)

10.  When heated, the volume occupied by air in a balloon  will ___________________________ .

                       (increase, decrease or stay the same?)

Tell whether each of your predictions was accurate or not. This should take at least four sentences in order to say if you were correct, and then why or why not.

ENRICHMENT: 

Try to explain what happened to the tanker car shown in the pix, in terms of gas particle behavior.  The situation happened when some workers cleaned the tanker out with a hot water flush and then sealed the tanker car lid after doing their work in the middle of the day.  That night, the air temperature dropped down to the 35⁰F range.  The car did this sometime during the night.

Blog 3.2 Properties of Ionic and Covalent Compounds

Conclusion:

 Respond to each item asked for on the rubric and answer the following questions.

1. List the general properties of ionic compounds. (hardness? conductivity? conductivity in solution? melting point?)

 

2. List the general properties of covalent substances. (hardness? conductivity? conductivity in solution? melting point?)

 

3. What types of elements combine to form ionic bonds? Explain what happens with electrons with this type of bonding.

 

4. What types of elements combine to form covalent bonds? Explain what happens with electrons with this type of bonding.

5. Why do covalent compounds lack the ability to conduct electricity as a solid or in solution?

 

6. Why do ionic substances conduct electricity in solution, but not as solids?

Enrichment:

Solutions containing ions are often called “electrolyte solutions.”  Research electrolytes and find out:

¨  Why drinks like Gatorade advertise that they contain electrolytes,

¨  What electrolytes have to do with you and exercising,

¨  How electrolytes are used by your body to transmit messages from your brain to your muscles,

¨  What is the electrolyte substance used by your body?

Lab 3.1 Modeling of Molecules

As we know, all matter is made up of little particles. 

When a sample of material is known to use covalent bonds, the material is said to be “molecular,” or in other words, the material is made up of “molecules.”  A cluster of HCl molecules is shown below.  Molecules have an electrical charge of zero.

 

 

When a sample of matter is known to use ionic bonds, the material is said to be “ionic,” or in other words, the material is made up of “ions.”  A cluster of Al³⁺ and O^2- ions is shown below.  Ions have electrical charges on them.

 

One way of knowing whether a material is using ionic or covalent bonds is to test its melting point.  It is generally true that molecular substances have lower melting points than ionic substances.  For example, HCl melts at -115^oC while Al₂O₃ melts at 2072^oC. 

1.  Decide whether you think the attraction between ions is stronger than between molecules, or visa-versa.  Explain what evidence you are using from the information above, in order to make a conclusion about this.

2.   When HCl molecules are melted, do we still have HCl molecules, or are the molecules broken down into H and Cl atoms?  Explain based on your understanding of whether the process of melting is a physical or chemical change.

3.  When ionic substances are melted, they can conduct electricity.  When they are solids, they can not.  Explain why this is so.

4.  Molecular substances do not conduct electricity in either solid or liquid form.  Why not?

ENRICHMENT:  Research what a “polar” molecule is.  Find out whether or not water molecules are polar.  Draw a set of 4-5 water molecules showing how they arrange when touching each other.