November 9-13, 2015 - Isabel Nowak

Our last unit was unit seven, and it's main focus was balancing equations. In order to help us visualize balancing equations we made before and after particle drawings, or we just continued to add on the elements until they were equally balanced on both sides. We were either given the compound of the reactants and products or we were given the word description and had to first write the equation and then balance it out on both sides. By balancing the equation we had to insert the proper coefficient that would balance both the reactant and the product. I found that just adding onto the element to even out the reactant and compound was way more helpful than doing particle diagrams, just because I felt it was more organized and you could see it better than having to switch on and off using different colored pens to show the different elements. This unit tied into other units that we have done in the past through using the element and compounds and recognizing the molar mass, and watching for the ionic and molecular compounds that we did in unit six. At first my weakness of this unit was fully understanding how to balance an equation if you have an even amount of a compound on one side verses a odd number on the other side of the compound. Mrs. Hetter just taught me that you have to just keep going back and forth and that it's just basically the common multiple of the two. So that helped a lot because my first instinct of every compound like that was to find the common multiple and then the other compounds revolved around that compound that had to be balanced out. A strength that I think I had this trimester was being able to do the word problems since we did that last unit and so putting together the equations was super simple, as well as just catching onto this unit. I feel as if we jumped into it super quickly and it was kinda just presented in front of us the day after the test and once we completed the nail lab and nobody really knew how to do it, and it was just a free for all. A lab we did was going around the classroom and doing multiple experiments and basically seeing the reactions and balancing them out. Such as the copper and wool experiment. Something I would've done differently in this class was probably study for the tests a little more. I underestimate some classes, and either way I know I test terribly. Most the time I do know the content but once it's on the test I freak out a little and my brain goes blank and also some things are worded differently. I think that this course was kinda fun, it was pretty basic. But nothing new with the way that Skyline presents their science program. Nobody really took white boarding seriously and I think that was a waste of time. Half the time my group didn't know how the labs were related to the unit at all either. I think that the blog assignment was pretty cool, I've never had a teacher that's used blogger. But at the end of the week, reflecting on what I did in chemistry and having to get out my worksheets and go over the content briefly was pretty helpful. Some recommendations that I would give this chemistry class would to be using our class time more efficiently. Every time we did white boarding we would take all hour to 'wait' for everybody else and our table would be done in five minutes, and that's how it was for all groups. Then the next day we would white board the answers and I don't think it was really useful for anybody and it was just another day of procrastinating. Some more positive feedback would be doing the experiments. I think we did more experiments in this chemistry class than I've done in previous ACIS science classes.

November 2-6, 2015- Isabel Nowak

This week in chemistry class we prepared and took a test on ionic and molecular compounds. We concluded that ionic compounds are made up of a non-metal and a metal. Whereas a molecular compound is made up of two non-metals. We learned how to solve both the ionic and molecular equations. I have previous knowledge about how to calculate these equations from AP chemistry because we learned this material in our June online homework assignment. However, we were able to use a periodic table with the names of the metals, transition metals, and non-metals which made it extremely helpful because we didn't have to also cram that material in our head. For ionic compounds you use roman numerals to represent the first element in the equation, only if it's a transition metal. For molecular compounds you use prefixes such as "dioxide" to represent two oxygen. We took our test on Thursday and we had a Tuesday off, and I wasn't present on Monday so I mostly had to study on my own. I think I did fairly well. The only part where I questioned myself was the multiple choice because I just felt like some of the wording was weird. That's the only part I'd say I needed help with. I think there was like a three element compound that was molecular and I didn't know how to name that compound too. Another thing that I thought was super helpful was our pink sheet and it was named the "Common and a Few Not-So-Common Ions". Basically we had a portion of the test where we just had to name the formula and so the answers were basically right in front of us. On Friday we started Unit 7 and first we started the Nail Lab. It's a three day lab but all we did was put copper (II) chloride and distilled water to the beaker. Then we placed three nails into the copper chloride solution. We observed that the solution turned blue. Originally the cooper chloride was just a green powdery substance. Once we placed the nails into the solution we found that small bubbles were appearing on the nails. Not above the nails were bubbles showing or on the surface of the solution but specifically on the nails. The last assignment that we did for the November 2-6th week was the reaction equations worksheets. You basically just have to balance the equations out. You can visualize the balancing through either particle diagrams or writing the equation for the compound over and over until it's balanced. I would say that our participation this week was well. I always think that our table works very well together. Typically when one of us is stuck on a problem we always problem solve easily. I would rate my understanding of the week pretty well. I think I knew most of the material. We didn't focus on much other than the test though, but I think that most of the class probably did well because we were prepared and it was mainly just the ionic and molecular compounds we focused on and their equations.

October 19-23, 2015 - Isabel Nowak

This week during chemistry we learned about conductive and nonconductive elements. We did the "Let's Conduct Maestros" lab and went around the classroom and decided whether it was conductive or not. The items tested could be solids or liquids. From this lab we concluded that conductive items contained metals in a aqueous or liquid state. We also concluded that non-confuctive materials were solid metals and non metal compounds. In part two of that lab we used a U-tube which contained graphite rods on both sides. It was filled with Copper II Chloride (aq). The graphite rods had alligator clips attached to them and they were plugged into a socket. It was the electrolysis of the Copper II Chloride also known as the compound CuCl2. We will be concluding part two of that lab on Monday but near the end of class it was bubbling and smelling like Chlorine (that was the positive side). The other side on Monday should be Copper. We can conclude that we are separating non-conductive and conductive metals apart from each other. Another lab we did this week was the Tape Lab. Although we turned the worksheet in with the substitute we basically created a positive, negative, and neutral charge. We attached tape together and we took it apart and that was basically charging it up. But we would try to put a charged tape against a charged tape or a negative verse a negative and it would repel. But when you had a charged verses a non-charged piece of tape it would attract. Then we had strips of paper and that acted as the neutral material. So whenever we put a piece of tape to it, it wouldn't do anything because it didn't have a charge at all. We also made particle diagrams during class to represent the lab. Since the top piece of tap was the positive and charged side and the negative side was the bottom we made particle drawings of before the adhesion and in contact and separation in order to show the difference. The participation this week with my group went well, I think we all have clear understanding on what we learned throughout the week. We only did a few labs so we didn't work together that much. It was mostly just making sure that all of us understood the main concepts. I knew about the main concept of attractions with negative and positive charges but I think that doing the tape lab was the most helpful visually to see what occurred with a better understanding. A lot of people from my group were fasinated including myself.  One concept I'd still like to have a better understanding on would be the concept on the back page of the Unit 6 Sticky Tape Post-Lab worksheet where we did particle diagrams why there's still some particles on one side where the top tape is near the charge. Even though I know that the top tape is going to be attracted when it's closer by why are there still some particles that aren't? Lastly, we learned about different abbreviations that are included with compounds. Such as H20 (s). This means that it's a solid. (I) means liquid state and (aq) means that it's dissolved.

October 12-16, 2015 - Isabel Nowak

This week some of the main goals that we accomplished were studying and preparing for the unit five test that was on Thursday. We prepared by white boarding answers from the review packet and going over worksheets. I feel as if we mostly focused on the new concept of finding molar mass. When we find molar mass we have to use to the periodic table of the elements that are in the compound (such as KNO3). Another main concept was converting grams to moles or moles to grams. The problem would be formatted by asking if you had this many moles in a compound what would the mass of the gas be in the sample?  We also used Avogadro's number, such as getting a problem with how many atoms are in an amount of moles per an compound or element. We did a ton of these equations to prepare for the test. We also had to define words such as mole, molar mass, Avogadro's number, empirical formula, and molecular formula. We had to calculate the empirical formula of a compound with a given amount of grams from each element. The difference from the empirical formula and the molecular formula is that the empirical is the lowest whole number ratio and defined as it being based on data. Whereas the molecular formula is any multiples of the ratio or the empirical formula. We had to also had to find the molecular formula for a compound of a composed compound with the given molar mass. Then we'd find the empirical formula by reducing the molecular formula with the lowest whole number ratio. Lastly, we had to find the percentage of the mass of a element and the mass of a compound.  You can figure this problem out by dividing the mass of the element over the mass of the compound and then multiplying by one hundred to figure out the percentage. Although I was absent for the test on Thursday due to visiting the University of Michigan I cannot discuss how well I think I did on the test, but I can discuss how I'm continuing to prepare for the test that I'm taking after school on Monday. So far I've really been reviewing the problems in the packet because it seems as if the test is very much alike in comparison to the review packet. I feel as if I have the most trouble on problems that are using the Avogadro's number, not necessarily understanding what a mole is because Im very aware of what it is. But more of distinguishing when to use it. Like when you find how many atoms you use it but then you have to know that the formate is different for finding the atoms of a element versus finding the atoms of a compound. But that's mainly what confuses me on and I have to continue to practice. On Friday we did a ball maize activity. Which was basically getting a little black circular container that had a marble inside and different maize patterns. Using your hearing techniques and the movement of your hands helped figure out what the maize looked like when you imagined it. I really don't know the exact reasoning behind why we did that activity but I'm guessing it has to do with gases and how even though we can't see them they still exist and it's challenging to understand. I would say that my participation during class was fine, our group works very well together and we collaborate on answers most of the time. I guess my only question after completing unit five would be how else do we use mole?

October 5-9, 2015- Isabel Nowak

Week October 5-9, 2015

This week in Chemistry we focused on the concept of Mole. A mole is simply just another way of measurement. We came to an understanding of the mole by doing multiple worksheets and working with the mole as if we were working with any other unit of measurement. In our unit 5 worksheet 2 we asked how many moles were in a specific kind of atom. We also conducted an experiment this week called the Empirical Formula Lab. In this experiment we added zinc pieces into a beaker and added 50mL of 3M HCL to the breaker. The results of adding the liquid substance was a bubbling of the substance that was in the beaker. The zinc dissolved and the beaker became opaque at the top of the surface. On the second day of this lab after  the zinc beaker was sitting under a hot plate for a day we used a bunsen burner and heated up the zinc substance and tried to see if the mass would change and what the ratio of Cl and Zn would be. Based on our findings in this lab we learned that the empirical formula for zinc chloride is ZnCl2. We came to an understanding of this experiment by weighing the substance before we heated it and after we heated it. The ratio was 2 to 1 which wasn’t too surprising but it was definitely a fun lab and interesting to have the interaction in the chemical process. Throughout the week we also worked with elements and the periodic table a little more. The class was taught molar mass and how to calculate it. We also learned about Avogradro’s Hypothesis, and we were introduced to Guy-Lussac. This week I’ve learned a little about the mole considering that I’ve had summer work, and class in AP Chemistry this year. However, learning about the empirical formula also wasn’t too surprising but the observations of the burning the element, Zinc was quite interesting. I didn’t know that it would bubble at the surface if we added HCL. My ideas of the mole has become a little more clear however, doing the practice worksheets have helped my understanding. I would rate my understanding of this week’s work at a 9/10. I would feel pretty prepared for a test but might have to review over a few concepts beforehand. My participation throughout the class was pretty well I’d say. I participated throughout the labs, and my table (table 6) had great participation throughout the worksheets. We discussed and worked together on almost every week sheet and conflict we had with each other. Some new questions that somewhat linger throughout my mind would be other ways that we can incorporate the Mole into our everyday lives, or use it in other ways other than relation to atoms. Another question is if our scientific research is different or every table group for the Empirical Formula Lab different due to the amount of Zinc we all started with, the amount of heat we put on our beakers on the experiment during day 2 using the bunsen burners, or if the data is different due to not melting the element properly.