Category Archives: Grade 10

Vanadium

element-tanaka-vanadium-oxidized-8x6

Atomic number: 23

Atomic mass: 50.9

Valence electrons: +5, +4

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Vanadium is a transition metal discovered by Mexican chemist Andres Manuel del Rio in 1801. His work was not accepted however, when French chemist Hippolyte-Victor Collet-Descotils stated that it was just impure chromium. The element was rediscovered in 1830 by Nils Gabriel Sefstrom from Sweden, and it was named Vanadium after the Scandinavian goddess of beauty, Vanadis. 85% of vanadium that is produced is used to make steel alloys. It’s commonly used to create parts for cars and jet engines, as well as gears and axles. A unique fact about vanadium is that it has four oxidation states and changes colour for each one. Here is a video showing the different states:

 

Sources:

  1. “Vanadium.” Chemicool Periodic Table. Chemicool.com. 18 Oct. 2012. Web. 9/22/2015 <http://www.chemicool.com/elements/vanadium.html>.

    Images:

  2. http://www.chemicalaid.com/element.php?symbol=V
  3. http://www.slicktiger.co.za/2013/03/11/escape-monday-stunning-close-up-pics-of-element

Bubble Gum Experiment

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The results of this experiment show that the stretchiness of the gum determines how big the size of the bubbles will be. Gum A (Hubba Bubba) stretched farther than Gum B (Big League Chew) when stretched apart. However, Gum B’s bubbles were slightly larger in diameter than Gum A’s. Therefore, if the gum is very stretchy, then smaller bubbles will be created. This proves my hypothesis incorrect, which was that Gum A would produce the largest bubbles due to its stretchiness. These results however, are not completely accurate due to a number of variables: density of the gum, how the gum was produced, the chewer’s bubble blowing skills, the area in which the gum was grabbed then stretched, and the time passed since it was last chewed.

If the gum was denser, then it stretched farther. Since Gum A and Gum B are manufactured from different companies, the way it was produced may affect how well it broke down in the chewer’s mouth. If one were not good at blowing bubbles, then most likely the bubbles will not be a large size. Where the gum was pulled is also a variable because if a large area was grabbed, then there would be more material to be stretched and it would stretch farther. The amount of time that passed since the gum had last been chewed is important since its temperature would slowly decrease, making it less stretchy.