Weekly Quiz

I found this unit's weekly quiz quite difficult, which makes me worry about the approaching unit exam. However, I found this video very helpful in explaining the basic vocab for this chapter and the calculations we have to use.

Copper Lab Day 1

Last week we began the Copper Lab that involved reacting together iron (in the form of a nail) and copper chloride. We first had to take the mass of both the baby jar and the nail, then add the copper chloride to the jar. Then we polished the nail and added it to the jar. Almost immediately the reaction began to take place and copper started to form. We set it aside for the weekend and will address it this week.

Magic Number Method

This method was a life saver for me and I hope they can help some other people. It basically transforms stoichiometry into one large algebra problem. These links really helped me!
http://ed.ted.com/on/uHuxtp3w

Copper Lab Day 2

Yesterday we completed the copper lab, which reinforced our understanding of chemical reactions and their composition. When we combined iron with copper chloride, we produced an ugly solid copper. These labs really help me picture the reactions and makes it easier to calculate and determine answers.

Unit Quiz

I felt very confident while taking this quiz; however, my score suggested that I need to study more for the exam. I am still struggling with determining the limiting reactant and excess amounts. These links really helped me study and practice more.

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/chemistry/chemical-reactions-stoichiome

Metals Lab

This week we completed another lab relating to chemical reactions and their equations. In this lab, we reacted we metals with water, hydrochloric acid, silver nitrate and copper sulfate and determined if a chemical reaction had occurred. The four major signs that a reaction has taken place are a change in color, formation of bubbles, heat and / or flame is produced or a solid is formed. This lab helped me visualizes all the rules and reactions we have been studying and also aided in preparation for the test. 

Driving Forces

I missed the lecture in class today, but from what I can gather, it involved the driving forces of chemical equations, which are the formation of a solid, water or gas or the transfer of electrons. A chemical reaction involves a change in energy and will only occur if a driving force is present. Each occurs in a certain reaction, such as the formation of a solid (precipitate) occurs in a double replacement reaction and the formation of water occurs in either an acid-base neutralization reaction or combustion. I also used these resources to fill in the gaps of the notes. 

Driving Forces