HONORS CHEMISTRY
I
Core Lab Summaries Revised Summer 2001 |
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ACTIVITY
1: Milk Kaleidoscope |
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PURPOSE:
To use the scientific method to observe, hypothesize, experiment, and collect
data |
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SUMMARY:
Students make observations, propose a hypothesis to explain those
observations, devise an experiment to test that hypothesis, and then accept
or revise the hypothesis based on evidence. |
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EQUIPMENT:
Petri dish, dish detergent, hand soap, laundry detergent, whole milk, 1%
milk, Half & Half, fruit juice, vegetable oil, toothpick, four different
colors of food coloring |
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SAFETY: Glass petri dishes are
fragile. |
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ACTIVITY
2: Separating Mixtures |
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PURPOSE:
To separate two salts in solution by using solubility differences and
filtration; determine the percentage of the two salts present. |
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SUMMARY:
Students use the relationship between solubility and temperature for NaCl,
KNO3, and Cu(NO3)2 to separate the chemicals
and the determine the percent of each present. Students first learn the
technique using the NaCl-KNO3 solution and then most devise their
own experiment to separate the KNO3-Cu(NO3)2
solution. |
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EQUIPMENT:
NaCl-KNO3 and KNO3-Cu(NO3)2
solutions, beakers, graduated cylinders, balance, burner equipment,
filtration equipment |
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SAFETY: Goggles and aprons; open
flame is used; glassware is fragile |
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ACTIVITY
3: Comparing Chemical and Physical
Changes |
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PURPOSE:
To distinguish chemical reactions from physical changes; to identify
indicators that a reaction has occurred. |
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SUMMARY:
Students conduct a series of procedures, observe the results, and determine
how to distinguish chemical reactions from physical changes. |
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EQUIPMENT:
Magnifying glass; test tubes, holder, and rack; burner apparatus; toothpicks;
graduated cylinder; balance; crucible and tongs; pipet, Cu wire, CoCl2h6H2O,
NaCl, and solutions of AgNO3, HCl, and NH3 |
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SAFETY: Goggles and aprons; open
flame is used; corrosive chemicals are used |
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ACTIVITY
4: Flame Test |
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PURPOSE: To
understand how electrons make quantum leaps from one energy level to another |
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SUMMARY:
Students observe characteristic colors produced by certain metallic ions when
they are excited in the flame; explain what causes the colors, and identify
an unknown ion by its flame test. |
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EQUIPMENT:
Bunsen burner, wooden splints soaked in various metal chloride solutions. |
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SAFETY: Goggles and aprons; open
flame is used; chemicals may be toxic if ingested |
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ACTIVITY
5: Periodic Relationships |
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PURPOSE: To
understand how and why the elements are arranged in the Periodic Table |
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SUMMARY:
Students first develop a classification scheme for a set of hardware. Then
they classify several elements based on their atomic number, atomic radius,
and first ionization number. |
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EQUIPMENT:
Set of bolts, hex nuts, and wing nuts for each group, balance, ruler, chart
of element properties. |
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SAFETY: No safety precautions are
needed |
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ACTIVITY
6: Composition of Hydrates |
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PURPOSE: To
determine the percent water in a hydrate and calculate the water of
hydration. |
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SUMMARY:
Students heat a known hydrate (CuSO4h5H2O) to dryness and
calculate the ratio of water to hydrate. The procedure is repeated with an
unknown hydrate (BaCl2h2H2O). |
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EQUIPMENT:
CuSO4h5H2O,
BaCl2h2H2O,
Burner apparatus, beaker and tongs, watch glass, balance |
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SAFETY: Goggles and aprons; open
flame is used; chemicals may be toxic if ingested |
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ACTIVITY
7: Research Project |
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PURPOSE:
Use the scientific method to design and conduct a useful research project.
Communicate results clearly and concisely. |
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SUMMARY:
Students choose a question that is of interest to them, design and conduct an
experiment to answer that question, write their findings in a scientific
paper format, and then submit the project results to Science Fair or OJAS
competition. |
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EQUIPMENT:
Varies from project to project |
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SAFETY: Varies from project to
project; ISEF rules and regulations apply |
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ACTIVITY
8: The Mole |
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PURPOSE:
To develop an understanding of the mole concept and molar masses through an
analogy with a model system. |
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SUMMARY:
Students use relative masses of lima, pinto, lentil, black, and kidney beans
to model relative atomic masses. Then they compare actual atomic masses in
grams and relate those numbers to the mole concept. |
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EQUIPMENT: Bag
of beans listed above, balance, beaker or cup, calculator |
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SAFETY: No safety precautions are
needed |
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ACTIVITY
9: Types of Chemical Reactions |
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PURPOSE:
To distinguish reactants from products,
observe and classify four types of chemical reactions: synthesis,
decomposition, single displacement, and double displacement |
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SUMMARY:
Students observe several chemical reactions, classify the type of reaction,
and write the balanced equation representing the reaction. |
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EQUIPMENT:
Mg; Ca(OH)2, HCl, and AgNO3 solutions; soda water;
beakers; test tubes, holder, and rack; ring stand and clamp; crucible and
cover; utility clamp; wooden splints; graduated cylinder; forceps |
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SAFETY: Goggles
and aprons; open flame is used; chemicals may be toxic if ingested; hood
should be used in solution preparation |
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ACTIVITY
10: FeCl2 or FeCl3? |
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PURPOSE: To
apply the mole concept to chemical formulas |
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SUMMARY:
Students react iron with CuCl2 in solution and determine if the
product is FeCl2 or FeCl3 by using molar mass
relationships. |
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EQUIPMENT: CuCl2,
HCl, Fe nails, sandpaper, beaker, crucible tongs, balance, and drying oven |
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SAFETY: Goggles
and aprons; chemicals may be toxic if ingested; oven is hot; hood should be
used in solution preparation |
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ACTIVITY
11: Heating and Cooling Curves of
Lauric Acid |
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PURPOSE:
To observe and graph the effects of temperature on a pure substance during
heating and cooling. |
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SUMMARY:
Students heat lauric acid in a hot water bath until it is completely melted
and the temperature rises several degrees. They also measure the temperature
as the acid re-solidifies. The results are graphed. |
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EQUIPMENT: Test
tube of lauric acid, hot water bath apparatus, thermometer |
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SAFETY: Goggles
and aprons; open flame is used; avoid breathing lauric acid fumes. |
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ACTIVITY
12: Molar Volume of a Gas |
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PURPOSE: To
determine theoretically and experimentally the volume of one mole of H2
at STP. |
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SUMMARY:
Students react Mg with HCl in a gas burette, collect the gas, and calculate
the molar volume converting to STP conditions. |
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EQUIPMENT:
Gas burettes, stoppers, ring stand with utility clamp, thermometer, large
beakers, graduated cylinders, 3M HCl, Mg ribbon, ruler |
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SAFETY: Goggles
and aprons; corrosive chemical is used; glass burettes are fragile; hood
should be used in solution preparation |
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ACTIVITY
13: Boiling Point Elevation and Molar
Mass |
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PURPOSE: To
relate the concentration of a solution to boiling-point elevation data. |
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SUMMARY:
Students measure boiling point temperature for distilled water and NaCl,
sucrose, MgSO4 solutions, and an unknown solution.
Using Ætb
and Kb to calculate molalities, they try to correctly identify the
unknown. |
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EQUIPMENT:
MgSO4h7H2O,
NaCl, sucrose, flasks, balance, beaker tongs, burner apparatus, thermometer,
ring stand and clamp, utility clamp, wire gauze |
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SAFETY: Goggles
and aprons; chemicals may be toxic if ingested; glass flasks are fragile;
open flames are used. |
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ACTIVITY
14: Equilibrium |
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PURPOSE:
To observe color changes in solutions as indications of shifts in equilibrium
and explain those shifts by applying Le Chatelier’s Principle. |
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SUMMARY:
Students note the color of several chemical reactions and then observe the
effect on products when more reactants are added. They explain the changes in
terms of Le Chatelier’s Principle. |
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EQUIPMENT:
24-well microplate; test tube; pipets; CuSO4, CH3COOH, FeCl3,
KSCN, HCl, and NH3 solutions; Fe(NO3)3, K2HPO4,
KCl, CH3CONa, and NH4SCN. |
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SAFETY: Goggles
and aprons; chemicals may be toxic if ingested; hood should be used in
solution preparation |
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ACTIVITY
15: Acid-Base Titration |
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PURPOSE: To
determine the molarity of NaOH by titrating it with a standard HCl solution. |
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SUMMARY:
Students perform a classic acid-base titration. |
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EQUIPMENT:
Burettes and clamps, ring stand, flask, phth, |
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SAFETY:
Goggles and aprons; chemicals are corrosive; glass burettes are fragile; hood
should be used in solution preparation |
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ACTIVITY
16: Rates of Reaction |
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PURPOSE:
To observe the effects of varied concentrations and temperatures on the rate
of chemical reactions. |
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SUMMARY:
Students perform the classic clock iodine reaction using different
concentrations of the solutions and different temperatures. They measure the
time it takes for the reaction to occur under the differing conditions. |
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EQUIPMENT:
Liquid starch, I2, H2SO4, beakers, ice, hot
plate, thermometer, stop watch |
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SAFETY: Goggles and aprons; glassware
is fragile |
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