Paper Clip Activity: Unit 1

     Today in class, we started out by taking notes on the Particulate Nature of Matter section.  We first learned about monatomic, diatomic, and polyatomic elements.  Monatomic elements exist as single atoms, diatomic elements consist of two of the same atoms bonded together, and polyatomic elements consist of the same kind of atoms bonded in groups of three or four. After these elements, we moved on to learn about compounds. Compounds consist of two different kinds of atoms chemically bonded together. For example, carbon dioxide consists of one carbon atom bonded with two oxygen atoms.  Everything so far has been a pure substance because they have not been mixed with any other types of elements or compounds. After this we learned about mixtures, which are not pure substances. There are two different types of mixtures, homogeneous and heterogeneous. In a homogeneous mixture all parts have to same makeup. For example coffee mixed with sugar is a homogeneous mixture.  Any solution is homogeneous. In a heterogeneous mixture, there may be more of a certain substance in one part than in a different part.  For example if you take two handfuls of skittles, you may have more green skittles in your right hand than in your left hand.  After these notes, we moved on to the paper clip activity.

Paper Clip Activity

      After we took the notes, we began our paper clip activity.  In this activity we used different sized paper clips to represent different atoms. We used the symbols Jb for jumbo, Sm for small, and Cl for colored.  Then we were given 8 different chemical formulas and we had to make them using the paper clips. For example Sm3 (subscript), then we would attach three small paper clips together. Then we answered the number of atoms in the sample and the number of molecules in the sample. In this case it was 3 and 1.  After we finished we made up a couple of our own.  This activity taught us about atoms, elements, compounds, molecules, and mixtures. We used what we learned in the notes to help us with this activity.

 

 

This would be an emample of Jb3+Jb.

 

 

The next scribe will be Jane B.

Observation Lab: Unit 1

Observation Lab: Unit 1

     Today we did an observation lab. The purpose of this lab was to make observations about changes that occurred when several substances were mixed, also to design controlled experiments to identify the substances responsible for the observed changes. First, we described the substances involved in the lab (see below). Second, we put one teaspoon of calcium chloride, one-half teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate, and 5 mL of phenol red indicator solution into a zip-lock bag. Before mixing the substances, we squeezed out all the air. As the substances mixed, a reaction occurred (figure 1). We observed and recorded the changes that took place in the bag.

Phenol Red Indicator Solution
(Red liquid)

Sodium Bicarbonate
(White, solid powder)

Calcium Chloride
(White, bead-like solid)

Data:

    -Color change: yellow-orange

    -Began to fizz

    -Became warm

    -Bag filled with air

     To figure out which substances caused which reactions, we conducted some of our own experiments. First, we combined sodium bicarbonate with phenol red and got no reaction besides the color changing to red-pink (figure 2). Next, we combined calcium chloride and phenol red. The mixture turned orange-red and became warm (figure 3). Lastly, we combined calcium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and water. The mixture fizzed and bubbled (figure 4). By conducting these separate experiments, we were able to discover which substance combinations caused which reactions.

GO CHEMISTRY!

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

The next scribe will be Jack M. :D

Achtung Baby

Today was all about safety. Our discussion centered around the Flinn Scientific Safety Contract. Also we watched clips from the ACS safety video. The first part of the discussion talked about appropriate laboratory attire and behavior. The movie clips were hilarious but informative as Mr. Lieberman was able to link them to our classroom. 

The shorter clip had to do with good lab techniques. There are several points that I think are worth highlighting.

1. The video made a point of telling us that it is always smartest to pour liquids from large stock bottles into smaller containers that are easier to manage in the lab.

Ahh...the memories

2. The point of mixing acids is an important one but not done very often in our class. Acids should always be poured into water, not the other way around. "Do what you outta pour the acid into the watta" I know lame but I learned that in high school myself.

3. The video also commented on how we always pour out of stock bottles but never back in. If you have too much of a chemical dispose of it properly but do not put it back into the stock bottle.

4. Remember never mouth pipet!!


The next scribe will be Madison O.

Scribe List

Jane B. Colin B. Eunice C. Benya C. Jeremy E. Brian F. Xavier F. Dana G. Renee H. Daniel H. Fabian J. Billy K. Georgia K. Jake K. Elijah M. Yasmeen M. Shana M. Jack M. Megan N. Madison O. John O. Joseph P. Tommy R. Alex S. Katie W. 

Digital Ethics

Blogging is a very public activity. Anything that gets posted on the internet stays there. Forever. Deleting a post simply removes it from the blog to which it was posted. Copies of the post may exist scattered all over the internet. That is why we are being so careful to respect your privacy and using first names only. 

There are four principles from which we will operate as we create digital content that will be posted on the internet.


1.  Students using blogs are expected to treat blogspaces as classroom spaces. Speech that is inappropriate for class is not appropriate for our blog. While we encourage you to engage in debate and conversation with other bloggers, we also expect that you will conduct yourself in a manner reflective of a representative of this school.


2.  Never ever give out or record personal information on our blog. Our blog exists as a public space on the Internet. Don’t share anything that you don’t want the world to know. For your safety, be careful what you say, too. Don’t give out your phone number or home address. This is particularly important to remember if you have a personal online journal or blog elsewhere.


3.  Again, your blog is a public space. And if you put it on the Internet, odds are really good that it will stay on the Internet. Always. That means ten years from now when you are looking for a job, it might be possible for an employer to discover some really hateful and immature things you said when you were younger and more prone to foolish things. Be sure that anything you write you are proud of. It can come back to haunt you if you don’t.


4.  Never link to something you haven’t read. While it isn’t your job to police the Internet, when you link to something, you should make sure it is something that you really want to be associated with. If a link contains material that might be creepy or make some people uncomfortable, you should probably try a different source.

Creating a Post

The video below will help you with creating a post

   
Every post should include at least 3 labels/tags
1. Your username (do not use your last name)
2. Unit # (Unit 1, Unit 4, etc)
3. You may also include any other tags that you feel are necessary