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computer simulations of gases

1/28/2015

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Happy Wednesday!  I hope your classes are going well and that the winter weather has not been too rough for you.

There isn't much money left in most 2014-2015 science department budgets.  For inexpensive chemistry lab ideas, buy my lab book "Chemistry on a Budget" for $20.56 at amazon.com or $23 at lulu.com. It will take a few weeks to get to you, so order now! 

http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html

This book contains 13 labs using consumable materials purchased from local stores.  There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout.

My recent blog post discussed Gay-Lussac’s Law, the direct relationship between the pressure and temperature of a gas.    I previously discussed the Ideal Gas Law on 02/09/2014.  There I discussed the lab reacting Magnesium metal with Hydrochloric Acid in a eudiometer tube.


Another way to collect a gas and measure variables to determine the Ideal Gas Constant is also presented in my book “Chemistry on a Budget”.

During my research for other lab ideas, I found a page at the American Chemical Society website that includes several sites that are very useful:

http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/students/highschool/chemistryclubs/activities/simulations.html

Here are four sites useful for gas law work.  Perhaps you could project some of these simulations for lecture use, assign it to students if you have classroom access to the Internet, or assign work at these websites as extra credit.

 PhET Interactive Simulations

                  http://phet.colorado.edu/
 
“PhET, based at the University of Colorado at Boulder, offers a wide range of interactive simulations in all sciences, with over three dozen chemistry-based simulations. The site states the simulations are extensively tested and evaluated.”

There are several simulations that apply to chemistry, including a “States of Matter: Basics” that might be useful projected for a class lecture.


Gas Laws: A simulated experiment


http://group.chem.iastate.edu/Greenbowe/sections/projectfolder/simDownload/index4.html#thermoChem

“Iowa State University’s Professor Tom Greenbowe shares many simulations and animations in ten major areas of chemistry, such as gas laws, stoichiometry, kinetics, and more.”


Virtual Chemistry Experiments

http://www.chm.davidson.edu/vce/index.html

“Professor David N. Blauch from Davidson College presents several interactive experiment simulations on topics such as equilibrium, kinetics, crystal structure, phase changes, gases, and more.”

Check out the section on Gas Laws (to the right of the page).


Chemistry Experiment Simulations and Conceptual Computer Animations http://group.chem.iastate.edu/Greenbowe/sections/projectfolder/simDownload/index4.html#thermoChem

“Iowa State University’s Professor Tom Greenbowe shares many simulations and animations in ten major areas of chemistry, such as gas laws, stoichiometry, kinetics, and more.”  

You would have to download the programs to your computer to run – make sure of the policy of downloading from the Internet if it’s a school computer, and heed any warning that your computer virus software provides! 

Many of these sites require Java software to run – make sure you have the latest version.  Here is a site for a free download:

https://java.com/en/download/

 I’d love to hear about your own discoveries from this resource!  I will probably be using it for other topics as well.

Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries. 

Have a good weekend!



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Gay-Lussac's law demonstration

1/21/2015

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Happy Wednesday!  I hope your classes are going well and that the return after vacation has settled down.

There isn't much money left in most 2014-2015 science department budgets.  For inexpensive chemistry lab ideas, buy my lab book "Chemistry on a Budget" for $20.56 at amazon.com or $23 at lulu.com. It will take a few weeks to get to you, so order now! 

http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html

This book contains 13 labs using consumable materials purchased from local stores.  There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout.

My recent blog posts discussed Boyle's Law and Charles' Law.  Today, I am focusing on Gay-Lussac’s Law, the direct relationship between the pressure and temperature of a gas.

Remember that all temperature calculations in the gas laws use Kelvin temperatures:

Kelvin = Celsius + 273 

I previously discuss Gay-Lussac’s Law on 02/01/2014 and two demonstrations were shared.  Check out the videos, one of an egg being drawn into a bottle as the pressure decreases, and the other using atmospheric pressure to crush a quickly cooled soda can.

Here is another demonstration using atmospheric pressure to move water as the air above it cools:


The explanation provides a lot of information for students new to the concept -- it might be useful for review.

This video doesn’t have any narration, but it has captions that contain a simple explanation of the phenomenon, in under a minute!
It’s a student video and omits discussion of the equalization of pressure when the water moves into the glass.

Many labs available on the Internet use a computer pressure sensor and either a computer or graphing calculator.  Some schools have access to that technology and it should be used; however, this is a large expense that may not have occurred yet in your department. 

Maybe acquiring the sensors can be a future goal – talk to the head of your science department to find out what has to be done!

Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.  I hope it helps!

Have a good weekend!

PS:  The current "deflate-gate" scandal with the New England Patriots may be related to the effect of temperature on pressure (Gay-Lussac's Law)!

Here's one discussion:
http://www.ksdk.com/story/sports/nfl/2015/01/21/deflate-gate-could-weather-played-role-deflated-balls-bernhard/22104795/

Maybe this could be a topic for your student's to research...



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charles law in freezing temperatures

1/14/2015

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Happy January!  I hope your return to classes is going well!

You may have received gift cards or cash for the holiday.  Remember that you can buy my lab book "Chemistry on a Budget" for $20.56 at amazon.com or $23 at lulu.com. It will take a few weeks to get to you, so order now! 

http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html

This book contains 13 labs using consumable materials purchased from local stores.  There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout.

My previous blog post was about how deep sea fish are affected by being brought to the surface and a much lower atmospheric pressure.  This is another real life example of Boyle's Law, the inverse relationship of pressure and volume of a gas.

This week I'm examining Charles' Law, that direct relationship between the temperature and volume of a gas.  Comprehension is aided by focusing on Kinetic Molecular Theory


I have previously discussed Charles’ Law, and recommended a lab to complete in class, on 01/29/2014.

An experiment students could perform at home uses an empty plastic bottle with its cap – 2L, 1 L, or smaller are fine, although 2L and 1L plastic bottles may compress more easily.  Students might be able to raid the family recycling bin to get empty bottles.

The bottle contains a sample of gas at room temperature.  Currently there are very cold temperatures around much of the United States.  Put bottle outside for 2-3 minutes and see how the gas has contracted.  Another cold environment would be a freezer (if there's room).

When the bottle is back in the room temperature, it will expand as it warms up.

You might want to try this demonstration in your classroom if access to the outdoors or a freezer is easy.  Maybe you can open a window in your classroom -- maybe store a plastic bottle outside for your class-- or even put it outside during class to show how quickly the change occurs.

In schools with air conditioning, you may not be able to open the window, so an empty plastic bottle must be placed outside.  You will have to determine if you can complete this in the classroom.

This could be an experiment that students complete at home (perhaps for extra credit), maybe they could trace the outline of the bottle before and after cooling.  Many students have phones and might be able to take pictures as well.

Just a reminder, do NOT do this with a full bottle of soda.

Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.  I hope it helps!

Have a good weekend!

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atmospheric pressure -- current story

1/7/2015

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Happy New Year!  I hope you’re having a great week back at school!

You may have received gift cards or cash for the holiday.  Remember that you can buy my lab book "Chemistry on a Budget" for $20.56 at amazon.com or $23 at lulu.com. It will take a few weeks to get to you, so order now! 

http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html

This book contains 13 labs using consumable materials purchased from local stores.  There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout.


On January 6, 2015, there was a National Public Radio (NPR) article titled “How Anglers are Learning to Save Fish that get ‘The Bends’ ”  about a catch & release program for deep sea fish.  Because of the change in atmospheric pressure for the fish, they appear dead when caught, but they are not.  You can read this article, or listen to it at:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/01/06/374187614/how-anglers-are-learning-to-save-fish-that-get-the-bends


To listen to the story, click on “Listen to the Story” and then on “How Anglers are Learning to Save Fish that get ‘The Bends’ ” in the box at the right.

I have discussed atmospheric pressure previously in a post titled “Boyle's Law” posted on 01/25/2014.  This is another example of a real life situation demonstrating the inverse pressure-volume relationship of the particles making up a gas.  I recommend discussing Kinetic Molecular Theory as an image for students to remember.

This written article, or the radio broadcast, could be assigned as a homework assignment for students to summarize or to research further. 

Another assignment could be for students to list five facts from the article; however, there is a temptation to “cut and paste”, so you may require a handwritten assignment to avoid that possibility.

Students are always searching for Extra Credit opportunities, so you could use this article as an option. 

Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries. 

I'd love to hear from you with any questions or ideas for future Blog posts!


Have a good weekend!


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Midterm examinations

1/4/2015

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Happy New Year!  I hope you had a lot of fun and got a lot of rest during your vacation because it’s time to get back to work!

You may have received gift cards or cash for the holiday.  You can buy my lab book "Chemistry on a Budget" for $20.56 at amazon.com or $23 at lulu.com. It will take a few weeks to get to you, so order now! 

http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html

This book contains 13 labs using consumable materials purchased from local stores.  There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout.

Your school may have a Midterm Examination period in a few weeks.  I have encountered all possible approaches to Midterm Exams -- schools that suspended classes and just conducted exams during this time, schools that gave these exams during the regular school day schedule, and some schools that don’t formally have midterms at all.


Students appreciate the in-class preparation.  I did not reteach the course during any of the classes before exams were given, but did conduct review activities. 

A typical class could involve a 10-minute lecture to review a topic, and time for group work on review questions.  Sometimes I would stop student group review work with 10 minutes remaining and provide the answers to those questions as well as answering student questions. 

A brief video about an appropriate topic could be a useful review for students as well.
Sometimes I would start the class by answering student questions about homework problems related to review work.

Various strategies for preparing for Final Exams are also discussed on my 06/08/14 blog post.

The Objectives pages that may have been used (see post on 10/15/2014) are great because they can be gathered by the student (or you) to prepare for the exam.  
If you have posted the Objectives pages on a website, students can easily reprint them if necessary.

There may be a common departmental exam – refer to your fellow teachers to find out what resources are available for review.


If you’re writing your exam from scratch, or need review materials, here’s a link to American Chemical Society (ACS) exams:
http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/students/highschool/olympiad/pastexams.html

You would have to pick and choose the questions to be used.  If necessary, old-fashioned “cut and paste” works for specifying review materials to what your class has covered.

If you have access to a test preparation program, it could be useful in either preparing the test or preparing review materials.

Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.  I hope it helps!

My next post should be on Friday, January 9th.


Have a good week!



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    Author

    Marjorie R. Heesemann is a chemistry teacher with 15 years of experience who is now working to develop resources for the Chemistry classroom.

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