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11.09.24

Experimental Work in Senior Chemistry

Experimental Work in Senior Chemistry

Year 11 students PRACTICAL

Learning analytical laboratory techniques and skills in measurement are two important facets of experimental work in senior Chemistry.  In an effort to discern the identities of four colourless organic liquid compounds, Year 11 students practised sealing glass capillary tubing, creating hot water baths which were continuously stirred, close observation of the bubbling, or indeed cessation of bubbling, of the liquid being tested, and recording the boiling temperature with as much precision as possible.  This enabled them to successfully identify liquids W, X, Y and Z, using data shared across the class.

DECONSTRUCTION OF A SCIENCE BASED PROBLEM IN YEAR 12 CHEMISTRY

The problem: What factors could affect the time required to produce a specific amount of a particular chemical  (such as copper used in copper-plating or production of hydrogen for fuel) that is made in an electrolytic cell?

Work with a partner to:

It was very exciting to see the students unravel the problem, brainstorm its many facets, decide on a way forward, research what is already known, and design their own experimental work to facilitate collecting data to support or refute their hypothesis for their chosen investigation.

Students Reflected:

“The Year 12 Chemistry classes had the opportunity to design and perform an experiment to determine how we can increase the rate of electrolysis. I was interested in looking at how the charge of the metal cation in solution affects the rate of electrolysis since it was not something I was able to find information about online. Although our initial hypothesis was not supported, we were able to use scientific reasoning (with the help of Ms Eustace!) to interpret our results. Creating our own experiments was a great way to experience chemistry in action and make theory a lot more engaging!” Zayna Khan and Tara Tu

“We recently designed and conducted our own experiments regarding the rate of electrolysis. We decided to test the effect of distance between electrodes. Initially we were unsure how to efficiently collect the hydrogen gas produced in the experiment, but, with the assistance of our chemistry teacher and the lab tech, we were able to create an effective solution. While setting up our apparatus, we had to come up with a way to keep our electrodes suspended in solution and effectively control the distance between them. Although it was slightly challenging to design the equipment, we had lots of fun and it was well worth the time as we learnt to problem-solve and come up with our own unique process.” Abbie Gibney and Sophie Monis

“Our design experiment was to investigate the influence of anionic radius on the current through an electrolytic cell. It was a very exciting experiment to perform, because we did not know whether our hypothesis would be supported, as there are no previous records of students doing an experiment like this. Even though our hypothesis was not supported, it was fascinating to see how the shape, size, and orientation of an anion can affect electrical currents in electrolysis. We felt very proud to come up with the original idea, even though it took some deep research and digging to find data, like anionic radius. It was amazing to do what felt like conducting real scientific research using our own method, and discovering results that broaden our understanding of some chemistry concepts we had never considered before. This experiment allowed us to understand what real science researchers might feel like with their own projects and new discoveries.” Scarlett Scardigno and Savana Bartkowski

Ms Sandra Eustace
Chemistry Teacher

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