Future Stephen Myidea Winter2009

myIDEA

FUTURE PROGRAM

Laboratory Experiments in General Chemistry Stephen Glotzhober, [email protected], LSA, undecided, Class of 2012

OVERVIEW

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

WHAT I LEARNED

This was my second semester as part of the FUTURE program. I like being a FUTURE participant because of the insight I gain into education, the interactions I have with both the students and the teacher, and also I enjoy helping others learn about how chemistry is applied outside of the classroom.

Experiment 1: Double Replacement Lab Students were given a reaction well and several chemicals to test. By trying various combinations of chemicals in a systematic method, students were able to see if a precipitate formed, meaning that a double replacement reaction occurred. They were then asked to write out the equation. These reactions are important in areas such as neutralization, where an acid and base combine to form a harmless salt and water.

I learned many things from participating in the FUTURE program. First, I learned the importance of being flexible. Experiments do not always work out as planned for all students, and it is important to be able to deal with roadblocks that arise. Also, I learned the value of added help when doing experiments. In a class of 30 students, it would be very hard to run experiments with only one instructor. Many questions are asked, and different students need help with different aspects of the experiment. Skills I learned from FUTURE are transferrable to other areas as well. For instance, public speaking and being able to communicate ideas effectively, along with being able to adapt, are skills that I will need for almost any career I choose.

I chose to work with Tom Bobovsky again because I had a great experience working with Tom in the Fall semester 2008. While I had worked with his organic chemistry class in the fall, my schedule was better suited to work with his general chemistry classes during the winter semester. Tom and I had two main goals this semester: 1) to allow each of his classes to get some hands-on laboratory experience that related to what they were currently learning about 2) Carry out thoughtful and engaging experiments by bringing in real-life applications.

TIMELINE

Week 1 – Meeting the classes and observing a typical lesson Week 2 – Planning out experiments with Tom relating to current course work Week 3 – Experiment 1 Week 4 – Experiment 2 Week 5 – Experiment 3

Experiment 2: Stoichiometry Lab Students carried out a variation of the classic acidbaking soda experiment. By mixing HCl and baking soda, NaCl was produced. Using measurements they took throughout the lab, the students were able to calculate percent yield and stoichimetric conversions. Important in areas such as baking, where wrong ratios of ingredients can lead to a cake that is either too bitter or too sweet. Experiment 3: Plating of a Penny In a solution of sodium hydroxide and zinc, pennies were added which proceeded to turn silver from the zinc. Students then rinsed the pennies in distilled water. Lastly, pennies were heated using a bunsen burner in order to produce the alloy brass, which looks gold. This experiment helped show the students how chemistry can be used to change the appearance of everyday objects.

School Information: Cass Technical High School Teacher Information: Tom Bobovsky, [email protected] Project Coordinator: Mary Starr ProjectSupport Staff: Cesar Delgado, Morten Lundsgaard, Justin Lomont, Tracy Lent