Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 3, Chemical Spill (Pilote) (3rd-4th)
Hello SAVY Families,
Chemical Spill had a great start to the day with continuing our experiments. We looked at our experiment results from yesterday and made some modifications to our conclusion of why vinegar cleans a penny better than water. Most of the responses were written about the results of the experiment, but the conclusion should explain why our results happened and what we learned. We learned that vinegar contains acetic acid and reacts to copper oxide on the surface of a penny making it a better cleaner for the penny.
Our first experiment had us answer the question: does water dissolve faster in hot or cold water? The students decided on their hypothesis and got to work with testing to find the results. We discovered hot water dissolved the sugar faster, but why? The discussion began by explaining that the hot water melts the sugar, but I wanted them to go a little deeper. We learned the reason hot water dissolves more is because it has faster moving molecules that are spread further apart than the molecules in the cold water. With bigger gaps between the molecules in the hot water, more sugar molecules can fit in between.
The next experiment the class conducted answered the question, “Does water mix completely with other liquids?” We tested water with dish soap, baby oil, vinegar, and coke. We recorded the results in a chart to analyze if the solution was miscible (or mixed).
Then we started a deeper dive into the part of chemistry that explains if a substance is acidic, neutral, or alkaline (or basic). We learned about how substances have a pH, which is the potential of Hydrogen (pH). We discovered we can test substances by using a universal indicator that can tell us about the pH on a scale of 0 acidic to 14 basic. We began testing several types of water bought at a store and brought from home to determine if all water has a pH of 7, which is neutral.
Tomorrow, we will begin a research project that will help us determine some effects of the chemical spill on the local environment.
Just a reminder: Friday we will be visiting a Vanderbilt chemistry lab! Students are required to wear closed-toe shoes and long pants for safety reasons.