Household Acids and Bases

Question: What are the pH’s of household items.

Materials:
Computer Vinegar Ammonia
Lemon Juice Cola Drain Cleaner
Laundry Detergent Baking Soda Skim Milk
LabQuest Mini 6 test tubes LoggerPro
Test-tube rack pH Sensor Blue litmus paper
Wash bottle Paper towels Distilled water
Stirring rod Red cabbage juice 250 mL beaker

We tested the pH of household items like vinegar and lemon juice. We used litmus paper, red cabbage juice (Pretty Colors), and a pH sensor and compared the results. For the first test, we put 3mL of each substance into a test tube and then brushed it on litmus paper. Next, we measured the each pH using red cabbage juice, then finally the pH sensor.

Results: We found that the pH of the items varied a lot during testing. Drain Cleaner was a 9 point variation.

Item	Red Cabbage Juice	Litmus Paper	pH sensor
Vinegar	4.8	2	2.52
Ammonia	6.2	11	11.68
Lemon Juice	4.3	2	2.40
Coca-Cola	3.2	4.8	2.46
Drain Cleaner	4.6	8	13.45
Laundry Detergent	7	10.6	10.23
Baking Soda			8.18
Skim Milk			6.93

Sodium Silicate Polymer Lab

Problem: what will the sodium silicate and ethanol combine to make?

Hypothesis: If the sodium silicate is combined with the ethanol, then it will make a bouncy solid.

Materials:

12mL sodium silicate 3mL Ethyl Alchohol (ethanol) 150 mL beaker

250 mL beaker Stirring rod Paper towels

Safety goggles

Procedure: pour 12mL of sodium silicate into the 250mL beaker DO NOT LET THE SODIUM SILICATE COME IN CONTACT WITH SKIN!! Pour 3mL of ethanol into the 150mL beaker (alchol is flammable be careful). Slowly pour the ethanol into the beaker containing the sodium silicate. Use the stirring rod to stir the mixture until the liquids turn into solids. Gently roll the polymer into the shape of a ball.

Conclusion: I partially accepted my hypothesis of the two ingredients combining to make a bouncy solid. It did create a substance, though when I bounced it, it shattered (:( :( sad face) The part of the hypothesis that was incorrect probably due to the ball drying out. I gained experience in polymers. How to make them and how they work. It also showed they variation in polymers. This one was starkly contrasting to the last polymer we made. The strength of the polymer can be tested by adding weights of increasing weight until the polymer breaks.

ChemThink

C H E M I C A L R E A C T I O NS T U T O RI A L Q U EST I O NS:
1. Starting materials in a chemical reaction are called Reactants
2. The ending materials in a chemical reaction are called Products
3. The arrow indicates a has taken place. Chemical Reaction
4. All reactions have one thing in common: there is a of chemical bonds. Creation or Destruction
5. Chemical reactions always involve old bonds, new bonds, or both. Breaking old bonds, forming new bonds, or both
6. In all reactions we still have all of the at the end that we had at the start. Molecules
7. In every reaction there can never be any atoms or Different
8. Chemical reactions only in the atoms that are already Use
there.
9. hydrogen gas (H2) reacts with oxygen gas (O2) to form water (H2O)
H2 + O2 = H2O
2 atoms of H and 2 atoms of O as reactants. This would
make 1 molecule H2O but we’d have 1 atom of O leftover. However, this reaction only makes H2O.

A balanced chemical reaction shows:
a) What atoms are present before (in the reactants) and after (in the products)
b) How many of each reactant and product is present before and after.
10. So to make H2O from oxygen gas and hydrogen gas, the balanced equation would be: 2 H2 + O2 = 2H2O

# of atoms in Reactant	Elements	# of atoms in product
4	H	4
2	O	2

11. This idea is called the Law Of Conservation Of Mass
12. There must be the same Kind and the same number of Atom before the reaction (in the reactants) and after the reaction (in the products).
13. What is the balanced equation for this reaction? 2 Cu + O2 = CuO
14. In the unbalanced equation there are:
Reactants Products
Cu atoms 1 Cu atoms 1
O atoms 2 O atoms 2
15. To balance this equation we need to add 1 Cu molecule to the product, because this reaction doesn’t produce lone O atoms.
16. When we added a molecule of CuO, now the number of Cu atoms is balanced but the number of O atoms don’t match. Now we have to add more O atoms to the reactants.
17. The balanced equation for this reaction is
2 Cu + O2 = 2 CuO
This is the same thing as saying:
Reactants = Products
# Cu atoms 2 = # Cu atoms 2
# O atoms 2 = # O atoms 2
18. What is the balanced equation for this reaction? (Use the table to keep track of the atoms on each side.)
CH4 + 3O2 = 2H2O + CO2

# of atoms in the reactant	Element	# of atoms in the product
1	C	1
4	H	4
6	O	6

19. What is the balanced equation for this reaction? (Use the table to keep track of the atoms on each side.)
2N2 + 3H2 = 2NH3

# of elements in the reactant	Element	# of atoms in the product
4	N	4
6	H	6

20. What is the balanced equation for this reaction? (Use the table to keep track of the atoms on each side.)
2KClO3 = 2KCl + 3O2

# of elements in the reactant	Element	# of atoms in the product
2	KCI	2
6	O	6

21. What is the balanced equation for this reaction? (Use the table to keep track of the atoms on each side.)
Al + 3O2 = Al2O3

# of elements in the reactant	Element	# of elements in the product
1	AI	1
6	O	6

SU M M A R Y
1) Chemical reactions always involve...
The forming or breaking of chemical bonds.
2) The Law of Conservation of Mass says that the same atoms must be...
The same in amount before and after a chemical reaction. This is because matter can’t be created or destroyed.
3) To balance a chemical equation, you change the number in front of each substance until there are the same number of each type of atom in both reactants and products

Freezing and Melting of Water

Hypothesis: If the water is normal, then the freezing and melting points will be 0° C (32°F).

In the graph below the red line shows the freezing of the water (ironic huh). The blue line shows the water melting

Results: I found that the freezing temperature was correct at 0° C (32°F). Although, the melting temperature was a little higher than expected at 0.9°C (34°F). I accepted my hypothesis of the freezing and melting points of water. Some possible errors could be the temperature probe malfunctioned. Maybe, the temperature changed from an accidental touch.

1. What happened to the water temperature during freezing? During melting? The water temperature dropped sharply during freezing. When melting occurred the temperature rose much slower.

2. According to your data and graph, what is the freezing temperature of water? The melting temperature? Express your answers to the nearest 0.1°C. The freezing temperature of water was about

0° C. The melting point was a little higher at 0.9° C.

3. How does the freezing temperature of water compare to its melting temperature? The freezing temperature of water was just under a degree lower than the melting temperature. Room temperature is about 30° C.

4. Tell if the kinetic energy of the water in the test tube increases, decreases, or remains the same in each of these time segments during the experiment.

a. when the temperature is changing at the beginning and end of Part I

The kinetic energy drops. This is because as molecules cool down, they loose energy.

b. when the temperature remains constant in Part I

The kinetic energy remains the same due to a lack of temperature change.

c. when the temperature is changing at the beginning and end of Part I

The kinetic energy increases as the temperature does.

d. when the temperature remains constant in Part II

The kinetic energy would stay the same due to a lack of change in temperature.

5. In those parts of Question 4 in which there was no kinetic energy change, tell if potential energy increased or decreased. The potential energy increased. The lower the kinetic energy the higher the potential energy.

Greatest Discoveries In Chemistry

For this blog post we watched the 100 greatest discoveries in chemistry. Chemistry affects every part of our lives. For example, in this computer alone there is plastic, a lithium ion recharge-able battery, and radiation (small amounts not going to kill you). When Joseph Priestly discovered oxygen in 1774, that is what started it all. Since then many things have been discovered like x-rays, radiation, and all the elements. There is also hope for the future. Fullrenes are a result of chemistry and are 10 times stronger than steel. They are a better conductor than copper. They are also lighter than copper and steel. Chemistry helps and will help every aspect of our lives