Lab #1: Qualitative observations of a chemical reaction.
Introduction: The purpose of this lab is to carefully observe chemical reactions that go on and to try and interpret them. We are preforming this lab in class so that we can try and get a better understanding of what happens in a chemical reaction. In this lab we are trying to figure out what happens in a chemical reaction, and how it happens. This relates to our chemistry class because we just went over observations and inferences.
Results/ Data Collection: Throughout this lab my partner and I observed the chemical reactions closely. We observed that the candle was a cylinder shape, smelled waxy, and it was a solid object. While we were burning the candle the waxy smell increased, the candle melted, smoke was given off, and it gave off heat. When we blew out the candle and light the match 2cm away from the wick, the candle caught fire. When we tried lighting the liquid candle wax on fire, it stayed in liquid form. When we light the toothpick that was inserted by the wick, the flame went out about halfway down the toothpick. We observed that when you put a string on the candle and light it on fire, it goes out relatively quickly. My partner and observed that when you put aluminum foil over the candle and light it, it goes out. We interpreted that it went out because the foil did not allow the wax to move up the wick, so it could not be burned, so it went out. When we placed the beaker over the candle, it went out because of the lack of oxygen. It left a black circle in the bottom on the beaker, and when we tested it with the cobalt paper, it turned blue. Due to the fact that the paper changed colors, we knew that there was some kind of fluid left over in the beaker. When we tested the flame with the lime water, the lime water turned a different color. Because the lime water changed color, we interpreted that something from the burning candle was left over in the Erlenmeyer flask.
Discussion/Conclusion: Through the experiments that have been taken, I have gained a better understanding of fire, its properties, and observation skill necessary for a proper lab. While burning the candle smoke was present, and after the test involving the heated beaker, the cobalt chloride paper reacted, changing its color. This proves that fire releases water into the surrounding area. In the test with the Erlenmeyer flask, the lime water turned a cloudy gray color, concluding that there is CO2 released from the fire. As seen in our observations, smoke is a flammable source because when it was present and near the candle, it caused the candle to light. We also proved that the wick of a candle cannot sustain a fire because when we put the aluminum foil under the wick, blocking it from the rest of the candle, it went out. When we were lighting the smoke, it was possible that not all the groups were lighting it at the right time, this may or may not have caused different observations. Also, CO2 that was already present in the air may or may not have caused a change in
