Vinegar+Baking Soda=BOOM

On TV I always see kids using volcanoes as their science projects. So I finally got to see the magic behind it!

Photo credit to Chantel Yip

Equipment:

• beaker



• some vinegar



• some baking soda



• food coloring (if you want to make it explode pretty colors)



• dishwashing soap (to slow down the reaction)

Procedure:

1. Pour the vinegar into a beaker



2. Put a drop or two of food coloring [if desired]



3. Slowly pour baking soda in



4. See the reaction occur right before your eyes!



5. Put in some dishwashing soap so it won't react TOO fast

Photo credit to Chantel Yip

Science:

"Baking soda, a pure chemical called sodium bicarbonate, has the chemical formula:

NaHCO₃

When dissolved in water baking soda separates into sodium (Na⁺) and bicarbonate ions (HCO₃^- ):

NaHCO₃ ---> Na⁺(aq) + HCO₃^-(aq)

Vinegar, a weak (5%) solution of acetic acid in water, partially dissociates into hydrogen ( H⁺) and acetate ions (CH₃COO^-):

CH₃COOH <--> H⁺(aq) + CH₃COO^-(aq)

The reaction between baking soda and vinegar is actually two reactions, an acid base reaction followed by a decomposition reaction.

When the two ingredients are mixed, hydrogen ions ( H⁺) from the vinegar react with the bicarbonate ions (HCO₃^- ) from the baking soda to form a new chemical called carbonic acid (H₂CO₃).

H⁺ + HCO₃^- ---> H₂CO₃

The carbonic acid thus formed then immediately decomposes into carbon dioxide gas (CO₂)and water (H₂O).

H₂CO₃ ---> H₂O + CO₂

It's this carbon dioxide gas that you see bubbling and foaming as soon as you mix baking soda and vinegar together."

Science credit to website linked to the word "magic" above.

Play Dough!

As a kid I always loved playing with Play-Doh, so making it was even cooler.

Photo credit to Chantel Yip

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salt


• 1 cup flour


• 1/2 cup water


• pot/pan


• food coloring (optional, but makes it more fun!)

Procedure:

1. Mix flour, salt, and water all in a pot/pan. [Add food coloring if desired.]


2. Put over low heat.


3. When mixture thickens, take it out of the pot/pan.


4. Have fun!

Science:

There are starches made up of polysaccharides. The way they bond together creates playdough. The flour, salt, and water, the dough, are a tiny bit liquidy, but with some heat, the molecules move around more. The flour keeps it from being too watery and be able shape and mold into different shapes.

Noble Gas Chemistry StanDard

Chemistry Standard 12c: Identify possible reasons for inconsistent results, such as sources of error or uncontrolled conditions.

When scientists perform an experiment, not everything can go right. There's always something that can go wrong. It could be the experimenter at fault, the equipment, or maybe just some other unevitable natural flaws.

Human Error:

• measuring the wrong amount of substance (beaker, scale)




• reading the wrong result (thermometer, scale)




• scale not zeroed




• incorrect temperature setting




• miscalculations




• wrong instrument use




• not cleaning up in between eqiupment use

Equipment Error:

• broken scale




• unequal spacing (beakers, thermometers)




• holes that let unwanted gases in

Other Errors:

• weather




• no constant

Mills Canyon Field Trip

April 29, 2010 was the fateful day of...the field trip. All of Mr. Olson's classes walked from school to Mills Canyon in Burlingame. The walk there seemed to take FOREVER. I thought I was pretty close to the front, but it turns out I was more near the back. I mainly walked with Laura Chen! It got really hot and we had to walk uphill at one point on the road. I've run to Mills Canyon before for cross country, so it wasn't really new or a "secret" to me. When we finally got to the park I was happy because we were finally there, but then we just kept walking...and walking...and walking. It got really hard to walk because I was trying to avoid the wet mud and the little stairs and uphills were killing me. This field trip wasn't the best field trip, it didn't really seem like one. I don't think I enjoyed it as much as i could have, to be honest. Well, at least I got to miss class!
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