Science Week 18

Monday or December 15, 2014 A.D.:

Today we started a new lab on what can impact reaction rate. To this lab there are four sections. Today we did two sections and one half of the class did  section 1 and the other half did section 2. I did section one in which was about how the heat of a solvent (water) impacts how fast a solute (Alka-seltzer) dissolves. Our results showed that if the solvent is heated to 6O degrees Celsius than the solute dissolves much faster. In fact it dissolves more than thrice as fast that if it is cooled to 4 degrees Celsius. The other group used one molar hydrochloric acid and combined it with zinc. The point of this was to answer the question "Does the reaction rate change if the substance reacting with a liquid and is a clump or a powder?". When they put the powder zinc the reaction was much more vigorous than with the solid sliver of zinc. This is the case because there is more surface area with the powder and thus more metal for the HCl to react with.
 
Tuesday or December 16, 2014 A.D.:

Today we finished the lab in the same setup as yesterday with one half of the class doing section 3 while the other half did section 4. I did section 4 in which we experimented if a catalyst does anything to the reaction rate. We tested this by putting 5 chemicals into H2O2. One of them would change the reaction rate of the breaking down of the H2O2.  We found that none of the compounds did anything except for Fe(NO3)3 meaning that was the was the catalyst. Now what did the catalyst do? The catalyst sped up the decomposition of the Hydrogen Peroxide from a process so slow that it is not seen to a bubbling that was clearly seen. By the way, the H2O2 breaks down into O2 and H2O. The other group did section three which asked the question " Will the reaction rate change if the concentration is changed? ". They answered this question using HCl that will dissolve Zinc. The variable was the different concentrations of HCl of 1 molar, 3 molar, and 6 molar. The answer to the question above was that the concentration does make a difference and that the higher the concentration the higher the reaction rate. The results proved this because the most concentrated solution (6 molar) dissolved the Zinc much quicker than the least concentrated solution (1 molar).


Wednesday or December 17, 2014 A.D.:

Review day!!! We went over Unit 7 which was great because it was one extra time to study through the unit. I liked it very much for without it I would have gone over the unit one less time. Also, going over it cooled my nerves and told me that I know more about the unit than I thought. I cannot wait until the test because I think I am capable of doing good on it. 
 
Thursday or December 18, 2014 A.D.:

We had our test. I think I did good on it because it seemed fairly easy. I am confident that I will get an A, but I might have just jinxed myself. On the test there was a bonus question in which we had to find out about facts on Santa using other facts. In one question we had to convert the miles Santa has to travel in total over 31 hours into miles total per second. Did you know that Santa has 1000th of a second per house to load off his presents? You don't think this is possible? Actually, according to the theory of relativity, Santa gets more time than this because he is travelling so quickly in his sleigh. Don't believe in the theory of relativity? As a matter of fact, it has been proven so Santa could definitely exist!!! Admit it!

Friday or December 19, 2014 A.D.:   

No Science!!! :(
Winter break though! :)  


   
Summary: This week was a week of a test. This means you should study a lot to both to be able to do good on the test and to cool your nerves. For the test I got really lucky because I studied just under an hour and did pretty good on it. Next time I might not get that lucky and I should probably study more before the next test and not rely on luck that I will know the part of the unit that will be on the test. Also although I did study fairly efficiently it could be better. I also need to make sure that I don't study like this definition of study :

Science Week 17

Monday or December 8, 2014 A.D.: 

We got our quiz back today and I got a 100! After that we started our lab on acids,bases,pH,and indicators. In the lab we used red cabbage juice as an indicator to measure the pH of everyday things. Today we measured the pH of three liquids which were hand sanitizer, lemon soda, and apple juice. I thought it was really weird that Hand Sanitizer had a pH of 7 or neutral and that Lemon soda had a pH of 2 or really acidic. Apple juice had a pH of 3 which I had expected though. I thought it was really cool that cabbage juice is an indicator and not only that, but a very good indicator (Red cabbage juice can turn into six different colors depending on pH).

The 3 different solutions who's pH we tested.

Tuesday or December 9, 2014 A.D.:

Today we finished our labs. This time we measured the pH of white vinegar, baking soda, shampoo, and conditioner. The white vinegar that we tested turned reddish pink when we poured the red cabbage juice, this means it has a pH of 3. The baking soda had a pH of 8 because the cabbage juice stayed blue. The shampoo had a pH of  5.5 because the cabbage turned purple. Finally, the conditioner had a pH of 8 because the color of the cabbage juice was still blue.

Wednesday or December 10, 2014 A.D.:

Today we used blue litmus paper and regular pH strips. Both of these strips are indicators of pH. The blue litmus paper can only tell if a substance is an acid or a base, but the regular pH strips can tell if a substance is acidic, basic or neutral. They can also tell which pH something has ranging from pH 1 to pH 12. To test the pH we put the strip into the solution we were testing and then waited a minute until the strip changed color. Using both of these indicators we tested the pH of 12 solutions. The 12 solutions were Mountain Dew which had a pH of 2, shampoo pH of 5, salt and sugar water pH 7, dish soap pH 8, vinegar pH 2, baking powder solution, Alka-seltzer pH 9, Ketchup pH 6, tap water pH 7, warhead solution pH 7, and Drain-O pH 11. Yes, we tested a lot today. It was fun!!! :) 

Thursday or December 11, 2014 A.D.:

Today we finished up the questions of our lab that we did yesterday. I was very glad that we were able to do this in class because now I have to do less homework at home and have more free time. The questions included things like what the properties of bases and acids were and what happens when you drink Alka-selzer. (The Alka-selzer will react with the HCl in the stomach and will neutralize the acid. The product is always water and a salt with this type of reaction also called a neutralization reaction.)

Friday or December 12, 2014 A.D.:

 Today we did two experiments of which only one actually worked. The first one was an experiment called Elephants toothpaste. In elephants toothpaste Hydrogen Peroxide breaks down very rapidly into water and O2. Normally it would take years to break down Hydrogen Peroxide, but we added a catalyst and that should make it break down. The problem was though that the H2O2 was already broken down partially. The link that comes next is a link to an experiment that worked. (They added soap for the bubbles and dye for the color.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezsur0L0L1c The next experiment worked. In the next experiment we combined Sulfuric acid with sugar. In the beginning nothing really happened, but after stirring a little the clear sulfuric acid turned darker and started bubbling. It then started to turn solid. Meanwhile, the black substance that was forming (Carbon from the sugar) started to move over the brim of the beaker. At the end the carbon was sticking about 20 centimeters over the cup and was completely solid.

  

Summary: This week was a great week because we got 5 full science classes. It was also great because we had two labs and a day full of experiments. One thing I would like to improve on for next week is doing my homework faster and more efficiently.

Science Week 16

Monday or December 1, 2014 A.D.:  
Today we got less time in science class :( because the District Attorney came to our school. Even though we should have had labs today we still weren't able to do any experiments because of the D.A.'s visit. Instead we got our science test back. I was happy with my result for I was pessimistic about the score I was going to receive when I took it. I thought that I would get a B- or something like that, but I got an A- which made me happy and made up for the shortened science class. (at least partially)   :)

Tuesday or December 2, 2014 A.D.:

Today was really fun! The day was this way because we got to our lab today. Not only that, but we also got to do four experiments. In the first experiment the reactants were Zn and HCl. When the reaction happened the zinc atoms went into the HCl and booted the H out. The booted out H then bonded with other H to form H2. This is called a single replacement reaction. Additionally, we tested to see if the Hydrogen was set free. We did this by putting a test tube over the test tube where the reaction took place to collect the gas that was bubbling. We then lit a Popsicle stick and put it under the top test tube and we heard a POP meaning there is Hydrogen!!! The next reaction was also a single replacement reaction because the Zn outside the compound booted out the Cu. The the next two were not a single, but a double replacement reaction. This means that two compounds react and the anions switch the cations they are bonded to and still form two compounds. We also balanced some really hard equations for homework and checked them today.

The burning popsicle stick for the Hydrogen test.

The chemical reactions we had to balance.

Wednesday or December 3, 2014 A.D.:

Today we went over balancing chemical reactions one more time before our quiz that we had today as well. In contrast to the other quiz, I am optimistic about this one. I think I will get a 90% if I don't get a 100%. The quiz had 10 questions and about three equations were harder than the others which I like because once you solve them you are very happy and you feel even better than once you solve a simple one. Our labs were also due today and I forgot to turn mine in (even though I did it) because I was not organized enough. From this mistake I will become more organized and refer to my planner more often.

Thursday or December 4, 2014 A.D.:

No Science!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday or December 5, 2014 A.D.:

No Science!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Summary: Overall this week was O.K. and not good because we didn't have much science, but what we did have was fun. The things I have to improve on most are my organizational skills. I will do this by referring to my planner before every class period so I do not forget to turn something in. For this to work though, I will have to write everything in my planner as well.

Science Week 14

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: 

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.

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!)