As a class, we learned about chemical reactions. It also gave us an insight to the Periodic Table of the Elements. Each row of the table represents how many energy levels that atom has. The columns, not including 3 through 12, represent how many electrons that atom has. Every atom wants eight electrons to be full. The last column, number eight, are called the noble gasses. This is because they already have eight electrons, so they won't react with another element. Chemical reactions are when one or more substances combine, shift, or rearrange to create new substances. Our lab involved a chemical reaction between an acid, water, and magnesium.
| I participated in the class wide lab because I wanted to get a deeper understanding of chemical and combustion reactions. To learn this, we did a small explosive lab. We added 50 ml of citric acid to water in a volumetric flask. Then we put pieces of magnesium in it, and put a balloon over the top. The magnesium replaced the two hydrogen molecules in the water, and the hydrogen was released, floating up into the balloon. We tied off the balloon, and then held the balloon above a candle. The balloon exploded, and the water was released into the air. If we had a container, we would be able to keep the water. I think that during this lab, I contributed as much as I could. I wasn't overbearing, and made sure the whole group was participating. I did get a little clumsy, and accidentally let go of the balloon. We got it off of the ceiling by using a piece of tape on the end of a broomstick. Besides that, we had no human error. Taking from this activity, I can do a better job of reporting on activities, as well as doing a little more research before doing individual labs. |