During this lab, we used a combination of gumdrops, raisins, and toothpicks to create molecules. We chose 10 different molecules to draw its Lewis dot structures, showing our understanding of molecules. After the worksheet, we physically created the molecules by using the gumdrops as the main atoms (different colors meaning different elements), raisins as hydrogen, and toothpicks are bonds. We essentially learned the Lewis dot structure and how precise it has to be to get all 8 valence electrons. To have 8 valence electrons is called the octet rule. The octet rule is a chemical rule of thumb that states that atoms of elements tend to combine in such a way that each atom has eight electrons in its valence shell, giving it the same electronic configuration as a noble gas. The shapes of the inorganic compounds and organic molecules had a specific patterns they followed. The shapes of the inorganic compounds seemed to have one element in the middle and the other elements surrounded it, whereas the organic molecules first formed a hexagon and was based off of that.
Odors are more complicated than something “stinky” or “smelly.” They are made up of many different molecules, but all scents are based on the element of carbon. Odors with similar molecules will smell similar and vice versa. The odors with similar molecule patterns are put into families. For example, the terpenes family contains oranges, lemon, and grapefruit. They each share the same functional group, which is a common pattern found in the structures. A molecule is not limited to one functional group though. They can be considered to be apart of many different families with the different functional groups found.
Also, actually smelling the odor is complicated. First, the odors attach to your odorant receptors in your nose. This triggers the olfactory receptor cells to send electric signals through the glomeruli. After, the signals are transmitted to higher regions of the brain where it can be stored as a memory. You don’t really think of all the little science your body is doing right now. So many little molecules are going in and out of your body right now and you aren’t very conscious about it. That’s what makes it so complicated. How was your experience this semester?
I thought my overall experience was alright this past semester. It was kind of a hot mess the whole time because I never really knew my exact grade. When I did work I always had to estimate my grade and I always ended up getting lower than my estimation and have to do more work. It was hard trying to figure it out because there was no set amount of points. For example, reflections could range from 30-50 points and the difference between them is kind of hard to make up. I noticed this year I really hate writing things up. I hated doing reflections with a burning passion. I feel like I didn't really learn anything from it and it was just a waste of time. I got really lazy doing them and just started to do all the worksheets because they didn't require a reflection after. The reflections were so time consuming and I know a lot of my classmates dreaded doing them. Also, I didn't like how they points couldn't roll over into the next unit. I'm sure a lot of people could use the extra rolled over points for their next unit grade if they're behind. What did you learn about yourself as a learner? I procrastinate A LOT. Like it's not even funny. I procrastinated so much on getting points for my blog. I'm a really last minute kind of person and will do everything right before it's due (for example right now with this reflection lol). I get so lazy trying to get my thoughts typed up that I lose interest and do something else. I'm pretty sure I have an attention span of a 2 year old. I also learned that I really like worksheets still. I grew up at public schools where you carried around textbooks and did worksheets on them, so I'm pretty used to worksheets by now. I learn more with them because writing things down helps me memorize. When were you motivated by curiosity? When weren't you? I was motivated at the beginning of the semester when the options of how to obtain points were endless. Once the semester got to the middle, I lost interest and started to get bored with the work I was doing. I just wanted to get the points needed for the unit and relax. I didn't want to do any work at all for a while. I guess the only time I was motivated was with the rockets and the pop rocks experiments because it was something I've never done before. I just lose interest in things really fast and my curiosity diminishes. What will you take away from this class? I guess I'll take away how to make some really cool things. For example, we made our own bath bombs instead of buying a single one at Lush for $10. I learned how to shape rocks and make jewelry out of them which was also pretty cool. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I learned that you can make certain objects for a whole lot cheaper than buying the object. There's not much I can take away from this semester because I feel like I didn't learn as much. Gneiss is a high grade metamorphic rock. It can withstand very high temperatures and pressures than schist, a medium grade metaphoric rock. Since it is a rock, it is made up of many different minerals and does not have a chemical formula. Gneiss is formed by the metamorphosis of granite or sedimentary rock. Gneiss displays distinct foliation, representing alternating layers composed of different minerals. It is found in western Greenland comprise the oldest crustal rocks known (more than 3.5 billion years old). Gneiss is an old German word meaning bright or sparkling.
When I first chose this rock, no one knew what it was. I searched online for a while and found nothing that was exactly like my rock. When I did the rock identifier, it told me I had gneiss, but my rock looked nothing like it. I was confused and just left it as gneiss. No one still knows what it is, even when we described it in Google. I chose to shape my rock this way because it was really uneven when I first chose it. In the first picture, it had an odd curve to it, so I had Jiapsi cut it to make a rectangular prism. I originally wanted to facet the rock, but it was too small and wide to shape it into that. I thought this rock was cool at first, but once I grinded it down, it wasn't as pretty as it was naturally. I feel like I kind of messed it up and took away all it's nice looking layers. Labradorite aka, (Ca,Na)(Al,Si)4O8, is one kind of feldspar. It's a silicate mineral and is often used to make jewelry. Labradorite can display an iridescent optical effect, known as labradorescence. The term labradoresence was coined by O.B. Boggild, who defined Labradorization as the peculiar reflection of the light from submicroscopical planes orientated in one direction. The stone, usually gray-green, dark gray, black or grayish-white, is composed in layers that refract light as iridescent flashes of peacock blue, gold, pale green, or coppery red. The predominant blue varies within the light, displaying hues from deepest blue to various shades of pale, almost blue-green. Labradorite was first found in Paul's Island near the town of Nain in Labrador, Canada. It occurs in igneous rocks and is the feldspar variety most common in basalt and gabbro. Labradorite contains between 30 and 50 percent Albite, and between 50 and 70 percent Anorthite.
Labradorite is also used for to creating magical powers by the Inuit. It enhances the mental and intuitive abilities of clairvoyance, telepathy, prophecy and coincidence control, psychic readings and past-life recall. It provides an ease in moving between the worlds, and permits a safe and grounded return to the present. I chose to shape my rock into a triangular pyramid because that was the easiest way to cut it. It wasn't a big piece to start off with, but it had a lot of rough and uneven edges which made it hard. I was extremely excited because once I cut it, you could see the labradoresence on one of the sides. Morgan and I did the bismuth lab. The bismuth lab was a somewhat easy, yet hard lab. We melted the bismuth down to separate the pure bismuth from their impurities. To make the crystals into a pretty color. This lab showed me and Morgan the different phase changes due to temperature.
Looking Back: The bismuth crystals did NOT turn out good at all. It had little pieces of slab covering the pretty crystals and made it look ugly. We remelted out bismuth again and tried it another time, but we didn't get any impurities and we didn't even get crystals! It was beyond frustrating and I was so confused on how to do it. I asked Daisy, someone who has done the lab prior to Morgan and I, and she said to just wait and the crystals will form. We took her advice and applied it. we made crystals, but those crystals stuck to the side of the metal dish. It was frustrating and kind of sad that we couldn't make something this simple. We tried it the next day and we kept getting the same result: no crystals. Looking Beyond: The bismuth lab showed Morgan and I phase changes from a solid to a liquid and then back into a solid. The metal was just a slab of used bismuth from past experiments and it took a while to heat up and melt. Bismuth's melting point is 520 degrees Fahrenheit which is pretty low for a metal. By heating the bismuth to its melting point, it changes from a solid to a liquid. Once we thought we got crystals, we took it off the hot plate and let it cool, so it could be changed into a solid. Even though the solid didn't look like the original, it was still bismuth. Looking Back: I thought the crystals sucked a lot. We got two good ones and those weren't even great. The crystals were extremely pretty colors and it was cool to see how you can make it change colors by covering it from the light. I was so impatient and immediately wanted to do something, even though all we did was wait and scrap some stuff off the top of the liquid. It wasn't amazing and action packed like the rockets, but I guess that's what I get for making stuff that will be fun (or at least I thought it was going to be fun) in the long run. Looking Outward: I worked with Morgan on the bismuth and our partnership wasn't the greatest. We weren't communicating as well this lab because we were always leaving for sports because it was the start of the season. We ended up not making any good crystals and we were both to blame because it was so rushed. We made two good ones, but that was it. Our partnership is always strong, but this lab it seemed to falter. Looking Forward: If I could do this experiment again, it would be way more patient. We didn't really know when to take it off the hot plate and took it off too early, making the crystals not form. Another factor I think influenced the crystals was because we kept bumping into the table. Andrew told us not to move the table or else the crystals would not form. Next time, I would just stay away from the table and would just keep people away from it. For better results, I would ask someone who did the experiment before to help us. We didn't know when to take the impurities off or when to pour the liquid bismuth into the other dish. Takeaways: One takeaway I had was that bismuth crystals are not easy at all and that you need a lot of patience to make them. I personally do not have patience and this took forever, even though it took 30 minutes to make (AND IT DIDN'T EVEN TURN OUT GOOD). |
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May 2015
CarminaHi! This is my chemistry blog for the second semester of the 10th grade. Categories |