Transcript A Penny For Your Thoughts

A Penny For Your Thoughts
Today is 8-25-2010, Wed.
Living by Chemistry:
Introduction to Chemistry
ChemCatalyst
Long ago, early scientists tried to turn ordinary
things into gold. This pursuit was called
alchemy, and the people who engaged in
alchemy were called alchemists. Do you think
these early scientists were successful in
turning things into gold? Explain your thinking.
Purpose
To observe a chemical transformation firsthand.
Materials & Safety:
 Hot Plate
 100 mL beaker
 250 mL beaker
 Tongs
 Penny
 Zinc
 3M NaOH
 Water
Procedures
1. Add 125 mL of water to the 250 mL beaker.
Place 10 grams of granular zinc in a 25 mL
beaker, and carefully add 10 mL of 3 M
NaOH.
2. Place beaker with zinc and NaOH on
hotplate. Turn heat up heat on hotplate until
solution starts to boil. Turn down heat
(Medium). Place shiny penny in solution.
Lab Safety
Safety is extremely important in the chemistry
lab. In the space below, please write three
important safety considerations for this lab.
1.
2.
3.
Key Terms:
Property: A characteristic of a substance.
Chemistry: The study of substances, their
properties, and how they can be transformed.
The study of matter and how matter can be
changed.
Hypothesis: A testable explanation for an
observation. ( An educated guess!)
Engagement
1.Describe what happened to the penny during
the experiment?
2. What do you think turned the penny silver?
3. What do you think turned the penny gold?
4. Making Sense. Do you think you made real
gold? Why or why not? How could you find
out?