Category Archives: Science 10
LIT Chemical Reactions Experiments
Today in class we did three experiments which involved chemical reactions and equations. I really enjoyed these experiments and getting balance the equations of what we were experimenting with.
The three experiments were with calcium metal and water, the decompostion of hydrogen peroxide, and sodium carbonate and hydrochloric acid.
Calcium Metal and Water
In this experiment the gas we were testing for was hydrogen gas and we could tell that it was hydrogen gas because we used the splint that was lit by the candle and water. When the splint reacted to the calcium and water combined together, the heat from the the lit splint and the chemicals made a loud high pitch sound because of how quickly and how hot everything in the test tube was. The noice was created because because the molecules expanded and caused the flame to extinguish.
Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide
In this experiment the gas that we tested for was oxygen gas and we could tell that it was oxygen gas because the glowing embers of the splint were able to ignite when we placed it inside the test tube. The reason why the embers on the splint sould create a larger flame was because when hydrogen peroxide decomposes, it turns into water and oxygen. Fire needs oxygen and a fuel to ignite and with the oxygen that was in the test ube, it immediatley caused the embers to create a larger flame. There was also i quiet popping noice when we put the splint into the test tube when the flame was created and the noise was created because of how quickly the heat and oxygen molecules reacted with one another.
Sodium Carbonate and Hydrochloric Acid
In this experiment the gas that we tested for was carbon dioxide and we could tell that it was carbon dioxide because the flame on the splint was extinguished when it entered the test tube. For a flame to stay ignited, it needs heat, fual and oxygenand when one one of these components are missing, the flames cannot stay lit. Because of the products of this reaction created carbon dioxide, this made it impossible for a flame to stay lit.
Learning how embers and flames react with gases, such as the ones that we used in our experiments, can be extramely helful in our day to day lives. Knowing what extinguishes and ignites flames can be useful for stopping a fire from spreading, since you know what could kill the flame and what would make it worse. Knowing this, you could also know what is safe or unsafe to expose to open flames to and this could also help prevent a fire in your home or even at school.
Gene Therapy
By: Shaylyn, Mitchell and Katie
Huntington’s Disease
Huntington’s disease has autosomal dominant inheritance, which means that an individual needs only one copy of the defective gene to develop the disorder. In this type of inheritance pattern, each offspring of an affected individual will have a 50% risk of inheriting the mutant allele and being affected with the disorder. The inheritance is independent of gender, and the phenotype does not skip generations. Huntington’s disease usually causes cognitive, movement and psychiatric disorders with a large variation of signs and symptoms. Some of the disorders may appear to be more dominant or have a greater effect on the functional ability of an individual. When the altered gene is passed from one generation to the next, mutant allele often increases in size and a larger number of repeats is usually associated to with an earlier onset of signs and symptoms.
Refrences:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/huntingtons-disease/symptoms-causes/dxc-20321436
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntington%27s_disease#Inheritance
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/huntington-disease#inheritance
My Amazing DNA Lab
I really enjoyed this lab, I found it fascinating that you were actually able to see the DNA in the middle of the two substances.
Bubblegum Lab
In today’s class, we did a lab involving blowing bubbles with two different brands of bubblegum and collecting the data. We measured the diameter of the bubbles then later stretched the bubblegum out and measured the length.
Conclusion:
What brand of gum is the best at blowing bubbles and why?
The Big Time League gum (Gum B) was the best at blowing bubbles, the bubbles were much bigger, they stayed inflated longer and bigger bubbles occurred more often than the Hubba Bubba gum (Gum A). The Big Time League’s gum had an average bubble diameter of 15.66 cm while the Hubba Bubba’s gum had an average bubble diameter of only 11.83 cm. This is because the Big Time League’s gum is thinner, softer, lighter and much more pliable. The Big Time League’s gum could also stretch much further because it is thinner, not as dense and not as strong, meaning it doesn’t have as much resistance. When we stretched, and measured the length that the different bubblegum brands could stretch, Big Time League gum stretched only a lot further. Other groups had gotten their Hubba Bubba gum to stretch across the room. Our group’s Hubba Bubba gum just happened to break sooner than the others, maybe depending on the way we stretched it or how fast we stretched it. Hubba Bubba’s gum stretched 33 cm and The Big Time league’s gum stretched 236cm. After completing our experiment, our hypotheses were both refuted and supported, as The Big Time League’s gum blew bigger bubbles than Hubba Bubba’s gum our hypothesis was incorrect, however our second hypothesis was correct because the gum was pliable, softer and The Big Time League’s gum stretched further. The overall texture and softness of Gum B made it much easier to blow bigger bubbles and to stretch out across the room, because of these qualities Gum B was the overall winning brand.
