Monday or November 17, 2014 A.D.:
Today we finished up our labs in class. In the labs we saw how lead (shown here) reacts with various solutions. We put twenty-five drops of MgSO4, H2SO4, CuSO4, Pb(NO3)2, AgNO3, and ZnSO4 on a spot plate and then dunked the lead in each solution. We then documented the reaction if there was one. I believe this lab was valuable because it both helped us guess what the product of the reaction was for example the flaky, black tarnish that covered the lead once dipped in the AgNO3. It was also a useful experience as it required both observation and documentation. Best of all, it was fun!!!
Tuesday or November 18, 2014 A.D.:
Today was great! We learned about Ionic bonds and Covalent bonds. Ionic bonds form when one atom gives up an electron and another atom gets it. The atoms are now bonded because they are attracted to each other. This is because the atom that now has the electron has a negative charge and the one that lost it is positive. A Covalent bond is a bond where the electron is shared equally.We also learned how to draw Ionic bonds and how to draw Covalent bonds Lewis Dot Structure style.
An Ionic bond is drawn with the electron that was gained with an arrow from the atom that lost the electron to the atom that gained the electron. A Covalent bond is drawn with the atoms' electrons that are being shared in a circle. Examples of both bonds drawn are below:
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| Covalent Bond |
| Ionic Bond |
Wednesday or November 19, 2014 A.D.:
Today we learned that usually non-metals form Covalent bonds and that usually Ionic bonds are formed by a non-metal bonding with a metal.We also learned how to draw ions Lewis Dot Structure style (below). What I thought was the coolest and most interesting thing that we learned is that sometimes atoms share two pairs of atoms and sometimes even three pairs!!! Another thing I learned was a neater easier way to draw Covalent bonds (also below). I think the neater way was valuable to learn because then I can read my covalent bonds faster and without as much or hopefully no error. I also learned that a positive ion is called a cation and a negative ion is called an anion.
| Sodium Ion (a Cation) |
| PH3 (the neat way) |
Thursday or November 20, 2014 A.D.:
Although we have learned about balancing equations yesterday, we did a lot of it today. Balancing equations really isn't that hard once you practice a little. We also started a new lab today. We finished the first and second experiment. In the first one we tried to burn copper over a Bunsen burner which was not very exciting because it just turned black and dull. The second experiment, however, was great. In this one we burned magnesium and it burned a brilliant white, too bright to look at. The product of the magnesium was a white powder.
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| Burning Magnesium! Burn! Burn! Burn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
Friday or November 21, 2014 A.D.:
Today was a great day! In our lab our teacher had Copper Carbonate in a test tube and she heated it over a Bunsen burner flame. The green powder then reacted and turned into Copper oxide and Carbon dioxide. We had evidence of the Copper oxide because we saw it at the bottom of the test tube, but we could not see the CO2. To test if there was CO2 we put a burning popsicle stick into the test tube. The flame went out immediately proving the presence of Carbon dioxide. The chemical reaction was a decomposition reaction which means that a complex substance was broken down into simpler substances. The reaction was also an endothermic reaction because it required heat to start it up.
Summary: Overall my first week at WAAS was great. I learned more organizational skills and became familiar with balancing equations and Lewis Dot structures. I still have room for improvement though. For example: Next week, I plan to take more notes than this week, write the unit section on the notes, make sure the date is on the notes, and that the date is the correct date. (Yep, I put the 20th for the 19th!)
