Chemistry Standard Final Project

Chemistry Standard 7a: Students know how to describe temperature and heat flow in terms of the motion of molecules (or atoms).

States of matter:

• Solid
• Liquid
• Gas
• Plasma
  

A solid can melt to form a liquid and a liquid can boil to form a gas. This can work vice versa, a gas can condense to form a liquid and a liquid can freeze to form a solid. When a gas condenses into a liquid heat is released and the molecules move slower. When a liquid evaporates or boils heat is absorbed and the molecules move faster. So an increase in energy and temperature leads to more motion in molecules or atoms. When a substance completely stops then the substance reaches absolute zero which is -273.15 degrees Celsius or 0 degrees Kelvin.





THE MOVEMENT OF MOLECULES IN A SOLID
When a substance is solid it has a definite shape and a definite volume. The atoms in a solid substance are packed close together stuck in position, so they can not move pass each other. Although they are so close together the molecules or atoms are still in motion. Molecules are reduced to vibrational energy, fixed next to each other.

THE MOVEMENT OF MOLECULES IN A LIQUID
When a substance is liquid it has a definite volume and it takes the shape of any container. The atoms in a liquid are not as tightly packed as molecules in a solid. They can pass each other and bump into each other, but they are relatively close to one another.

THE MOVEMENT OF MOLECULES IN GAS
When a substance is a gas it has a no definite volume and no definite shape. The atoms in a gas have little interaction with each other because they are so far apart. They occasionally bump into one another. Molecules move quickly and freely in any direction.

THE MOVEMENT OF MOLECULES IN PLASMA
Plasmas are ionized gases. Plasmas have so much energy that molecules are torn apart and only atoms exist. Also in plasmas the outer electrons are torn away from their atoms, forming charged ions. The sun and stars have atoms that are in the plasma state.




Click on this link, solid/liquid/gas, to see the different states of matter move!!!

Chemistry Mini Project

Did you know making rock candy is chemistry related? Who knew chemistry could taste so good.
To begin this chemistry experiment, you will first need to have these materials:

• Three cups of sugar (sucrose)
  
• One cup of water
  
• A clean glass or jar
  
• A cotton string
  
• A pencil or a popsicle stick
  
• Food coloring (optional)
  
• A lifesaver candy


• And 1/2tsp to 1tsp flavoring oil or extract (optional, for the flavor)
  
• A pan
  
• A hotplate
  

Okay now that you have all the materials required to make the rock candy, you can begin!!!

1. Pour the sugar and water into the pan


2. Boil the mixture and mix it constantly. Make sure the mixture does not go beyond boiling or the mixture will get to hard.


3. Stir the sugar until it is totally dissolved.


4. Add the food coloring and the flavoring into the solution. This step is optional.


5. Put the solution into the refrigerator to cool down. The mixture should be 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
6. Now take your cotton string and tie it to your popsicle stick or pencil. The string should hang in the jar and not touch the bottom of the jar.


7. Tie the lifesaver to the bottom of the string to weigh down the string.
   
8. After your solution is cooled down pour it into the clean glass or jar.


9. Take the string and wet it with water and dip it into sugar. Make sure your string is sugar coated. After doing this, place the string into the solution, with the lifesaver on the bottom and the popsicle stick on top of the glass so it is not in the solution.
   
10. Set your glass aside for 3-7 days. After 3-7 days there should be crystals growing on the string.

Chemistry Related
Rock candy is basically sugar crystals. If you look at sugar closely , you will see that the crystals have a rectangular shape. Crystals are solids that form by a regular pattern of molecules connecting together. Crystals grow really slowly because they add single layers of molecules. It takes millions of small atoms called cells to make a crystal. Cells repeat themselves in all directions making geometric shapes that have flat surfaces called crystal faces. Sugar is a cubic crystal.

Chemistry Mini Project

Do you want to play with fireworks, but cannot because they are to dangerous? Well you can make fireworks in a glass!!!

First things first, you will need:

• Oil
• Water
• Food Coloring
  
• A Tall Clear Glass
  
• Another Cup or Glass
• Fork

After you have these materials, you can start this experiment!

Here is the procedure:

1. Fill the tall glass with room temperature water.


2. Pour one-two tablespoons of oil in the other glass or cup.


3. Add a couple of drops of food coloring into the cup or glass that has the oil in it.


4. Stir the food coloring and oil for a little while, enough to break up the big droplets of food coloring into smaller ones.


5. Pour the oil and food coloring mixture into the tall glass that has water in it.
   
6. Now WATCH!!!!! You will see the food coloring droplets sink to the bottom of the glass. Each droplet will expand and this will look like FIREWORKS!!!
   

Chemistry Related:

The food coloring does not dissolve in oil, hence when it is in the oil it does not sink. As you can see the food coloring dissolves in the water. When you mix the oil and food coloring with the fork, you are breaking up the coloring droplets. Because oil is less dense then water, the oil will float on top of the water. But the food coloring will sink to the bottom of water and mix with it. The heavy food coloring droplets will sink to the bottom, while the lighter ones diffuse outward.

Mills Canyon Park Field Trip

On Thursday April 29, 2010, all of Mr. Olson's chemistry class walked down to the Mills Creek Canyon. The walk there took about twenty minutes. The walk up the hill on Trousdale was a little tiring. When we arrived at the trail i was caught off guard, i thought the Mills Creek Canyon was a nice flat area, but it was not. All together i liked the field trip because it was fun. I liked the nature and the walk on the trail was nice. One thing i did not like was the mud, i got my shoes dirty and i did not like how there was poison oak everywhere. I had to be really cautious about what i touched. I guess i could say the field trip was adventurous.


View Mills Creek Canyon in a larger map

You should visit Mills Creek Canyon.