The three States of Matter (Four labs)-- 2/06/12

         Throughout the last one or two weeks, my science class did four labs to see how chemical and physical changes happen. In addition, we learned a little bit more about the three states of matter: Solids, liquids and gases. We couldn't explore the fourth state of matter: plasma because it's rare on Earth and is really dangerous. The four labs we did were really interesting and fun to do.
        The first lab we did that week was "Pouring a Gas." We actually did two labs in one day, but they were separate labs. What we did for the "Pouring a Gas" lab was light a candle, and hold a mixture of vinegar and baking soda over it, as if we were pouring it, but not really pouring it over the lighted candle.The flame lights out when we did that, causing a chemical change to occur. The candle lit out because there wasn't enough oxygen for the candle to keep burning and in order was something to burn, it needs oxygen. So overall, the mixture of vinegar and baking soda (Carbon dioxide) took out all of the oxygen atoms/molecules from the candle causing it to go out. In this lab, I learned that in order for something to happen, the materials don't need to touch each other. Therefore, the atoms in the mixture traveled to light out the candle. I thought that was really cool and amazing the way it lit out. I didn't know that substances could do that before, even in real life.

       The next lab we did on that same day was the "Observing a Candle" lab. In this lab, all we did was basically take down physical and chemical changes before and after the lab and then we lighted the small candle. Some physical properties of the candle were that it was green, skinny, short, twisted and smooth. We used the senses sight and tough. Currently, there weren't any chemical changes because a chemical change only occurs when the substance creates a new form. We hadn't done anything to the candle yet, so there were no chemical properties. In order to observe a chemical change, we had to light the candle. Once the candle was lit, there were many changes, both physical and chemical. The candle started shrinking and the wax made a new shape. In addition, the candle also started melting. The molecular movement that molecules took was getting faster. I thought it was really neat how to candle started getting shorter in front of us because of the fire. Some chemical changes that my group observed was that the candle was burning and releasing smoke. The main difference between a chemical change and a physical change is that a physical change makes a new appearance and a chemical change make a new substance. A physical property is easier to determine because it's right in front of us and we could see it right away. I learned how to observe the differences between a physical and a chemical change and also what causes a chemical change. 
       The third lab we did that week was "Marshmallow fun!" This was honestly one of my favorite labs of the four we did, partly because we got to eat part of the burnt marshmallow! This was a really short lab, considering that all we did was rip a small marshmallow is half, burn it, and observe it. We had two marshmallows in front of us, both the same type although one was small and the other was bigger. The small marshmallow was white, fluffy, small and squishy, and that goes the same for the big marshmallow except it was bigger instead of small. Making a physical change, we first ripped the small marshmallow in half and ate it (Taste: squishy and sweet). Using the Bunsen burner, we then burned the big marshmallow and tasted a part of the burnt part (Taste: burnt and disgusting). Burning the marshmallow was a chemical change since it made a new substance which was burning it. In addition, the marshmallow was a solid because it had a definite shape along with a definite volume, therefore the particles were packed tightly together. One thing I learned from this lab, besides science, is to never taste a burnt marshmallow!!! In this lab, I also learned to be really careful when burning something or being near something being burned.

       The final lab we did this week was my absolute favorite! It was called "Observing changes in matter." This was a longer lab and took up a lot of time. To start off with, we had four small sugar cubes. We observed that they were small, white, sweet, hard and rough. Many physical and chemical changes occurred while we were doing this lab. One physical change was when we took a sugar cube and crushed the using the mortal ad pestle. That was a physical change since the substance stayed the same even though it took a new appearance. Then, taking the crushed sugar and pouring it into a glass of water, we looked at the mixture, noticing that the sugar was still visible and had a tint of sweetness to it. In this part of the lab, no chemical changes occurred to the sugar cubes. In part B of the lab, however there were chemical changes. We two sugar cubes into a test tube and held it over the Bunsen burner. Something really cool happened when we did that. The sugar turned from white to dark brown. There was a gassy substance forming which was yellow and coming out of the tube like smoke. We could obviously tell that a chemical change was happening, and the sugar was turning into a new substance. The new material was powdery and was enlarged, it took the shape of the container and was black and yellow. In addition, it was burned and bitter, stiff and breakable and it was still rough. The sugar changed from a solid, to another smaller solid, almost like a liquid. It changed its physical appearance, along with many more chemical properties. I learned many things from this lab, including more about the two types of changes and more about matter itself. 

Real life situation: physical change!

          Overall, the our labs we did that week were very educational, appealing and were truly amazing! They got me wondering so much about matter, and how everything in the universe has some sort of molecular arrangement in it. These things would be very useful in career, education and even everyday life situations such as cooking, organizing, etc. You see these things everyday and work with them everyday also. In addition, you make physical and chemical changes everyday also, from cutting vegetables to opening a book! This kind of science is so inspirational and got me thinking A LOT! I loved these four labs and hope we can do more in the future!