Name: Ramsha Date: Monday may 10

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Student Exploration: Chemical Changes

Vocabulary: acid, base, catalyst, chemical change, coefficient, conservation of matter,

decomposition, dissolve, double replacement, endothermic, exothermic, indicator, ion, physical
change, product, reactant, single replacement, subscript, synthesis

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

1. A student mixes baking soda and vinegar in a glass. The results are shown at left. Do
you think any new substances are being created in this mixture? If so, how do you
know?

Since one is a base and the other is an acid, these two compounds combine to produce two
chemical reactions.
The bubbles seen in the picture are made of carbon dioxide gas at the end of the reactions.

2. Suppose this was done on top of a balance. Do you think the mass would change as the
reaction proceeded?

If the quantities are the same, I believe the mass will remain constant as the reaction progresses.

3. What do you think would happen to the mass if the reaction took place inside a sealed
plastic bag?

Since there is insufficient space to react in, the mass will be enclosed and compressed if the
reaction took place within a sealed plastic bag.

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 Gizmo Warm-up
A chemical change, (or chemical reaction) occurs when one
or more substances, called reactants, are transformed into
different substances, or products. In the Chemical Changes
Gizmo, you will look for evidence of chemical changes by
looking at changes you can see, touch, or smell.

To begin, check that Reactant 1 is Sodium and Reactant 2

is Water. Sodium is a metal so soft you can cut it with a knife.

1. Click Play ( ). What do you observe?

A reaction occurs, causing a sizzle sound, and the water pigmentation shifts to a
clear/glassy color. (It also emits/forms a vapor)

2. Do you think a chemical reaction has taken place? Explain.

A colorless solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and hydrogen gas is formed when sodium
metal reacts quickly with water (H2). Because of the dissolved hydroxide, the resulting solution
is basic. It's an exothermic reaction.

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 Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
 Click Reset ( ). Check that the reactants are still
Observing Sodium and Water.
chemical changes  Turn on the Label reactants checkbox.

Introduction: It is important to distinguish chemical changes, in which new substances are

formed, from physical changes, which do not create new substances. In this activity, you will
look at many kinds of evidence that chemists use to see if a chemical change has taken place.

Question: What kinds of evidence indicate a chemical change has taken place?

1. Observe: Some chemical reactions release heat, and others absorb heat. In an exothermic
reaction, heat is released and the temperature of the system rises. In an endothermic
reaction, heat is absorbed and the temperature of the system decreases.

In the Gizmo, drag the Thermometer into the flask of water.

A. What is the starting temperature? 21C

B. Click Play, and wait for the reaction to end. What is the final temperature? 59C

C. Was this reaction exothermic or endothermic? Exothermic (temperature rises)

2. Observe: Two families of chemicals are acids and bases. Acids and bases can be detected
by an indicator, which is a substance that changes color in the presence of an acid or a
base. Phenol red is an indicator that is yellow in an acid, orange in a neutral solution, and
pink in a base.

A. Click Reset. Drag the Phenol red next to the flask of water. What does the indicator

show?

“Start pH: Neutral.”

B. Click Play, and wait for the reaction to end. What does the indicator show now?

“End pH Basic”

3. Observe: Click Reset. Select the Gas collection setup. Chemists use this apparatus to
collect any gases produced in the reaction. From the reaction flask, gases travel through a

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 long tube and into a cylinder of water. As gases bubble into the cylinder, the water is
displaced (removed) until the cylinder is filled with gas.

Click Play and observe the cylinder. Was any gas produced in the reaction?
How do you know?

Since the reaction was noticeable and audible, gas was released when it happened.

(Activity A continued on next page)

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Activity A (continued from previous page)

4. Analyze: One way to test what kind of gas is in the cylinder is to use a splint test. A glowing
splint is a wooden stick that has been lit on fire and then blown out, resulting in a glowing,
red-hot tip. A burning splint is a splint that has a burning tip.

The table shows how a splint reacts to some common gases:

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

Gas Oxygen (O2) Hydrogen (H2)
or ammonia (NH3)
Glowing splint Goes out Ignites (burns) Does not ignite
Small explosion and
Burning splint Goes out Continues to burn
“pop” sound

A. Drag the glowing splint next to the cylinder, and observe. What do you see?

I see that the glowing splint causes a small explosion.

B. Click Reset and click Play, and then bring the burning splint to the cylinder.
What happens now?

It appears that the cylinder became very smokey, and there was a small
explosion and a pop sound that occurred.

C. Based on the table above, what gas do you think was produced in this reaction?

According to the table, the gas emitted was hydrogen (H2).

5. Interpret: Turn on Show chemical equation. A chemical equation is a shorthand way to

describe a chemical reaction. Symbols represent the elements: H for hydrogen, O for
oxygen, and Na for sodium. The reactants are to the left of the arrow, and the products are
to the right. For example, the equation H2 + O2 → H2O shows that the reactants hydrogen
and oxygen combine to form the product H2O, or water.

A. Look at the reaction shown in the Gizmo. What are the reactants in this reaction?

Sodium (Na) and Water (H20) are the reactants. (Na+H2O)

B. What are the products in this reaction?

NaOH+ H2

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 These symbols represent sodium hydroxide and hydrogen gas. Sodium hydroxide is
a strong base. (Chemicals that contain the hydroxide ion (OH–) are bases.)

C. How do the products of the reaction relate to the phenol red test and the splint test?

Based on the fact that bases and acids exist, the reaction products are relevant to
these experiments.

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Activity B: Get the Gizmo ready:

Conservation of  Click Reset. Select Hydrogen peroxide for

matter Reactant 1 and Potassium iodide for Reactant 2.

Goal: How does the mass change (or not change) during a chemical reaction?

1. Review: In this reaction, hydrogen peroxide is added to a potassium iodide solution. Click
Play and observe the reaction.

A. What do you observe?

When the liquids combine, gas is released, which causes sizzling/fizzing and changes the
color of the liquid.

B. What evidence do you see that a chemical reaction is taking place?

There is a change in the physical appearance and gas is released possibly.

C. Replay the reaction and use the available tools (Thermometer, Phenol red,
Glowing splint, Burning splint.) What do these tools indicate? (Note: You will need
to switch to the Gas collection setup to use the splint.)

Thermometer: Start: 21C & Current: 83C

Phenol red: Start & End pH: Neutral.

Glowing splint: Glowing splint ignites.

Burning splint: A Burning splint makes a 'squeaky pop' sound.

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 2. Record: Click Reset, and change back to the Normal setup. Notice the mass shown on the
electronic balance.

A. What is the starting mass for this reaction? 336.6 g

B. Click Play. What is the mass when the reaction has finished? 335.2 g

C. How does the mass change in this reaction?

Since the liquid is converted into a gas and then released into the air, the mass number
decreases in this reaction.

3. Record: Click Reset, and select the Gas collection setup. Notice that this setup is heavier
than the normal setup, but the amounts of reactants is the same.

A. What is the starting mass for this reaction?

2386.6 g

B. How do you think the mass will change during the reaction?

I believe that the mass will remain constant during the reaction.

C. Click Play. What is the mass when the reaction has finished?

335.2 g

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(Activity B continued on next page)

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Activity B (continued from previous page)

4. Explain: Why do you think that mass was lost when the reaction was done in the normal
setup, but stayed the same when the reaction was done in the gas collection setup?

I believe the mass remained the same in the gas collection setup because the reaction was
balanced, but it wasn't in the usual setup, so the gas had to be emitted.

A fundamental law of chemistry is conservation of matter. This law states that, in a

chemical reaction, matter can neither be created nor destroyed. That means that, as long as
nothing escapes from the system, the total mass measured at the start of the reaction will be
the same as the total mass at the end of the reaction.

5. Compare: Turn on Show chemical equation. The small numbers, called subscripts, show
how many of each atom there are in the molecule. For example, the molecule H2O contains
two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. (Notice that, in this reaction, the potassium
iodide (KI) acts as a catalyst. A catalyst is a substance that helps a reaction happen but
does not change during the reaction.)

Count the total number of hydrogen and oxygen atoms on the left and right sides of the
equation:

Left side: H: 2 O: 4 Right side: H: 2 O: 3

What do you notice?

That an additional oxygen atom was formed.

6. Turn on Show balanced equation. A balanced equation shows how many molecules of
each substance take part in the reaction. The coefficients are the big numbers that tell you
how many molecules there are. For example, “2H2O” means there are two water molecules
and a total of four hydrogen and two oxygen atoms.

Carefully count the total number of hydrogen and oxygen atoms on the left and right sides of
the balanced equation:

Left side: H: 4 O: 4 Right side: H: 4 O: 4

A. What do you notice?

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 All sides of the equation are equal and balanced.

B. How does the balanced equation relate to the law of conservation of matter?
C.
It has to do with the fact that nothing is produced or lost as a result of this reaction, as shown
by the fact that the numbers are the same before and after the reaction.

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 Activity C: Get the Gizmo ready:
 Click Reset. Select Normal setup.
Types of  Select Sodium for Reactant 1 and Chlorine for
reactions Reactant 2.

Goal: Explore, observe, and classify a variety of chemical reactions.

1. Observe: In this reaction, a small piece of sodium is added to a flask containing poisonous
chlorine gas which has a yellowish color, and sand. Water is added to start the reaction.

A. Click Play. What happens?

A flame is ignited and then burns out.

B. Try the experiment with the Thermometer. Is the reaction exothermic or

endothermic?

Exothermic; heat is released, and the temp rises.

C. Run the experiment one more time, this time watching the mass. What do you
notice?

The mass increases by the end of the reaction.

D. Repeat the experiment, this time in the Closed system. How does the mass change
during the reaction now?

The mass changes during the reaction but concludes as the same mass as before.

2. Challenge: Turn on Show chemical equation. In this reaction, solid sodium reacts with
chlorine gas to form solid sodium chloride (NaCl), also known as table salt.

How does this explain the normal setup increase in mass during the reaction?

Because the new material is added to the original mass, it explains the rise in mass.

3. Observe: Select Ammonium nitrate for Reactant 1 and Water for Reactant 2. Add the
Thermometer to the flask and click Play.

A. What do you observe?

The temperature decreases by 8.

B. Is this process exothermic or endothermic?

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 Endothermic

C. What is the equation for this process?

NH4NO3 +H2O NH4 ++ NO3 –+ H2O

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In this example, ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) dissolves in water, producing

ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3–) ions. Chemists do not all agree about whether
this is an example of a physical change or a chemical change.

(Activity C continued on next page)

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Activity C (continued from previous page)

4. Classify: There are many types of chemical reactions. Four are described below:

 Synthesis: Two or more reactants combine to form a single product. For example,
2H2 + O2 → 2H2O. (Synthesis reactions are also called combination reactions.)

 Decomposition: One reactant breaks down to form two or more products. For
example, 2KCl → 2K + Cl2.

 Single replacement: An element reacts with a compound to form another element

and compound. For example, Zn + 2HCl → ZnCl2 + H2.

 Double replacement: Two compounds react to form two different compounds. For
example, FeS + 2HCl → FeCl2 + H2S.

Using the Gizmo, find an example of each type of reaction.

Synthesis: Na + Cl2 → NaCl2

Decomposition: H2O2 → H2O + O2

Single replacement: Na + H2O → NaOH + H2

Double replacement: AgNO3 + HCl → AgCl + HNO3

5. Explore: Find an example of each of the following in the Gizmo:

A. An example of no chemical reaction occurring: Sodium & Kerosene (Na + C12H26 → Na

+ C12H26)

B. A reaction that produces an acid: Silver Nitrate & Hydrochloric acid (AgNO3 + HCl →
AgCl + HNO3)

C. A reaction that produces a base: Calcium chloride & Sodium hydroxide (CaCl2 + 2NaOH
→ Ca (OH) 2 + 2NaC
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