Evidence of Work
This project was about using chemistry, specifically chemical reactions, to create a piece of art. This piece of art would be displayed in the new STEM building which is under construction. At first, I wanted to make my art baseball related, because it is baseball season. I was planning on taking a rectangular piece of iron and dividing it into nine sections. I would then discolor each of the sections based on how well I hit the ball average wise when it is pitched into the corresponding area of the strike zone in baseball. This idea turned out to be far too complicated, and Mrs. Vogl recommended that we keep it simple. I switched over to a basketball theme where I simply made a picture of one of my favorite players, Klay Thompson, shooting a jump shot.
In order to create my piece, a few things had to be done in preparation. I had to cover my sheet of galvanized iron in tape, and then cut out the image I wanted. This had to be done because the first reaction that I would be conducting for my art would be to remove the protective layer of zinc from the sheet of iron. If the whole piece of iron was stripped, it would begin to rust if oxygen touched it, so only parts that needed to be rid of the zinc would be. Using hydrochloric acid, the zinc layer was removed, and the next step could commence. My image needed to be defined in a striking color, and a coppery red was perfect. So, on the exposed parts of my sheet of metal, I painted on acidified copper nitrate. This resulted in the color I was looking for because copper is more reactive than iron, so it replaced it in a single displacement reaction. My final results are below.
This project was about using chemistry, specifically chemical reactions, to create a piece of art. This piece of art would be displayed in the new STEM building which is under construction. At first, I wanted to make my art baseball related, because it is baseball season. I was planning on taking a rectangular piece of iron and dividing it into nine sections. I would then discolor each of the sections based on how well I hit the ball average wise when it is pitched into the corresponding area of the strike zone in baseball. This idea turned out to be far too complicated, and Mrs. Vogl recommended that we keep it simple. I switched over to a basketball theme where I simply made a picture of one of my favorite players, Klay Thompson, shooting a jump shot.
In order to create my piece, a few things had to be done in preparation. I had to cover my sheet of galvanized iron in tape, and then cut out the image I wanted. This had to be done because the first reaction that I would be conducting for my art would be to remove the protective layer of zinc from the sheet of iron. If the whole piece of iron was stripped, it would begin to rust if oxygen touched it, so only parts that needed to be rid of the zinc would be. Using hydrochloric acid, the zinc layer was removed, and the next step could commence. My image needed to be defined in a striking color, and a coppery red was perfect. So, on the exposed parts of my sheet of metal, I painted on acidified copper nitrate. This resulted in the color I was looking for because copper is more reactive than iron, so it replaced it in a single displacement reaction. My final results are below.
Content
Chemical Reaction - A chemical reaction is the conversion of one or more substances into one or more molecularly or ionically different substances. By the law of conservation of mass, none of the atoms involved in the reaction are created or destroyed, just rearranged. My project involved chemical reactions between hydrochloric acid and zinc as well as between acidified copper nitrate and iron.
Reactants - Substances involved in a chemical reaction. For two substances to react, one or more compounds/atoms in one substance must be more reactive than an atom/compound in the other substance based on the reactivity series. For example, iron is more reactive than copper, so when the two came into contact in my project, a reaction occurred.
Products - Substances that are the result of a chemical reaction. Products can be solid, liquid, or gas. For example, when I mixed hydrochloric acid and zinc, hydrogen gas and zinc chloride were the products.
Precipitate - An insoluble compound formed when an anion and a cation from an aqueous solution react. My project had no aqueous solutions, so no precipitates were formed.
Solubility - The solubility of an atom or compound is a measurement based on whether or not a given substance will dissolve in water. A common household soluble would be salt, which dissolves in water. Sand, however, does not, and is considered insoluble. During my project, I did not need to dissolve anything or mix substances, solubility was irrelevant.
Types of Reactions - The five main types of chemical reactions are synthesis, decomposition, single replacement, double replacement, and combustion. The only type of reaction that occurred during my project was single replacement. The formula for this type of reaction in AB + C --> CB + A. For example, when hydrochloric acid and zinc are combined, the zinc replaces the hydrogen in the hydrochloric acid. (Zn + 2HCl --> ZnCl + H2)
Balanced Chemical Equation - A chemical equation for a chemical reaction in which the number of atoms/compounds for each of the reactants is the same as the number of the corresponding atoms/compounds in the reactants, as well as the difference in charge between the reactants and products being zero. For example, when acidified copper nitrate and iron reacted, the equation was as follows: Fe + Cu(NO₃)₂ --> Cu + Fe(NO₃)₂ Notice that there is one atom of iron on each side, one atom of copper, and two nitrate compounds on each side.
Reflection
For this project, I felt that I worked at an acceptable rate. My work ethic was one area that I would like to cite as a peak for this project. In the beginning, when we were choosing what type of art to create, I was on task, looking for examples and ways to bring my idea to life. I can continue this by leaving my phone in the caddy and not having recreational tabs open on my chromebook during class. Another thing I felt that I did well this project was exhibiting critical thinking. When I realized that my original idea for my art piece would be far too complicated, I quickly came up with a new idea and switched over. My new idea turned out to be exactly what i was looking for. Next project, I will make sure to apply myself to any and all problems that should arise in the course of my work. I will stay on task and think critically.
There were bad spots during this project, too. When the week of presentations came, I had barely even started creating my piece. I suppose that this can attributed to poor collaboration. I did not know exactly what reactions I would need to conduct for my project, and I failed to ask Mrs. Vogl for help when I needed it. Next project, I will make sure to attain the required help using good collaboration skills. Another area that I want to improve in is leadership. During our whole project, the group was disjointed. This was partially because of the independent nature of the project, but if I had stepped in and taken charge, we may have had a more coordinated effort. In the next project, I will make sure that I am on task and that my group and I are on the same page. Going forward, I will take steps to become more collaborative and take charge as a leader.
Chemical Reaction - A chemical reaction is the conversion of one or more substances into one or more molecularly or ionically different substances. By the law of conservation of mass, none of the atoms involved in the reaction are created or destroyed, just rearranged. My project involved chemical reactions between hydrochloric acid and zinc as well as between acidified copper nitrate and iron.
Reactants - Substances involved in a chemical reaction. For two substances to react, one or more compounds/atoms in one substance must be more reactive than an atom/compound in the other substance based on the reactivity series. For example, iron is more reactive than copper, so when the two came into contact in my project, a reaction occurred.
Products - Substances that are the result of a chemical reaction. Products can be solid, liquid, or gas. For example, when I mixed hydrochloric acid and zinc, hydrogen gas and zinc chloride were the products.
Precipitate - An insoluble compound formed when an anion and a cation from an aqueous solution react. My project had no aqueous solutions, so no precipitates were formed.
Solubility - The solubility of an atom or compound is a measurement based on whether or not a given substance will dissolve in water. A common household soluble would be salt, which dissolves in water. Sand, however, does not, and is considered insoluble. During my project, I did not need to dissolve anything or mix substances, solubility was irrelevant.
Types of Reactions - The five main types of chemical reactions are synthesis, decomposition, single replacement, double replacement, and combustion. The only type of reaction that occurred during my project was single replacement. The formula for this type of reaction in AB + C --> CB + A. For example, when hydrochloric acid and zinc are combined, the zinc replaces the hydrogen in the hydrochloric acid. (Zn + 2HCl --> ZnCl + H2)
Balanced Chemical Equation - A chemical equation for a chemical reaction in which the number of atoms/compounds for each of the reactants is the same as the number of the corresponding atoms/compounds in the reactants, as well as the difference in charge between the reactants and products being zero. For example, when acidified copper nitrate and iron reacted, the equation was as follows: Fe + Cu(NO₃)₂ --> Cu + Fe(NO₃)₂ Notice that there is one atom of iron on each side, one atom of copper, and two nitrate compounds on each side.
Reflection
For this project, I felt that I worked at an acceptable rate. My work ethic was one area that I would like to cite as a peak for this project. In the beginning, when we were choosing what type of art to create, I was on task, looking for examples and ways to bring my idea to life. I can continue this by leaving my phone in the caddy and not having recreational tabs open on my chromebook during class. Another thing I felt that I did well this project was exhibiting critical thinking. When I realized that my original idea for my art piece would be far too complicated, I quickly came up with a new idea and switched over. My new idea turned out to be exactly what i was looking for. Next project, I will make sure to apply myself to any and all problems that should arise in the course of my work. I will stay on task and think critically.
There were bad spots during this project, too. When the week of presentations came, I had barely even started creating my piece. I suppose that this can attributed to poor collaboration. I did not know exactly what reactions I would need to conduct for my project, and I failed to ask Mrs. Vogl for help when I needed it. Next project, I will make sure to attain the required help using good collaboration skills. Another area that I want to improve in is leadership. During our whole project, the group was disjointed. This was partially because of the independent nature of the project, but if I had stepped in and taken charge, we may have had a more coordinated effort. In the next project, I will make sure that I am on task and that my group and I are on the same page. Going forward, I will take steps to become more collaborative and take charge as a leader.