Our project
Project Description
For this project, we were assigned to plan, design, and build a system where multiple chemical reactions occur, each triggering another, ending with a light bulb lighting up. Essentially this was a chemical Rube Goldberg, with each step triggering a new chemical reaction.
We started by drawing a design of our chemical dominoes project, and then tweaking and working on the design until we felt that we had designed a project that worked. We then started building the project by starting with the construction of the lever and wooden frame. Most of the time that we spent constructing our project was used to tweak the setup of the project until we felt that it would be ready to work.
We started by drawing a design of our chemical dominoes project, and then tweaking and working on the design until we felt that we had designed a project that worked. We then started building the project by starting with the construction of the lever and wooden frame. Most of the time that we spent constructing our project was used to tweak the setup of the project until we felt that it would be ready to work.
CHEMISTRY concepts
Reaction 1: Lifting a Balloon; Sodium bicarbonate + acetic acid => CO2 + H2O
The baking soda and vinegar react inside the Erlenmeyer flask and the CO2
resulting from the reaction blows up the balloon. The balloon then tips a lever, dropping a weight, which pulls the strike pad, lighting the match.
Reaction 2: Burning Salts; Cupric chloride (blue), strontium chloride (red)
We coated a string in the flammable salts which turn vivid colors when ignited. They change colors because when a metal salt is burned, the input of thermal energy raises the electrons in the metal atom to a higher energy state. These electrons can’t remain in this excited state for too long and will emit energy in the form of light to return to the more stable, grounded state. It is the light we see when a metal atom is burned in the flame.
Reaction 3: Burning through metal; Copper chloride + aluminum = aluminum chloride + copper
2AL(s) = 3CuCl2 => 3Cu + 2AlCl
Aluminum is always coated in a thin layer of aluminum oxide and the copper helps break down the barrier. The copper ion helps the aluminum separate from the oxygen so that the aluminum can react with t=he chloride. The breakdown of the aluminum leads to the lighting of the LED on the Breadboard.
The baking soda and vinegar react inside the Erlenmeyer flask and the CO2
resulting from the reaction blows up the balloon. The balloon then tips a lever, dropping a weight, which pulls the strike pad, lighting the match.
Reaction 2: Burning Salts; Cupric chloride (blue), strontium chloride (red)
We coated a string in the flammable salts which turn vivid colors when ignited. They change colors because when a metal salt is burned, the input of thermal energy raises the electrons in the metal atom to a higher energy state. These electrons can’t remain in this excited state for too long and will emit energy in the form of light to return to the more stable, grounded state. It is the light we see when a metal atom is burned in the flame.
Reaction 3: Burning through metal; Copper chloride + aluminum = aluminum chloride + copper
2AL(s) = 3CuCl2 => 3Cu + 2AlCl
Aluminum is always coated in a thin layer of aluminum oxide and the copper helps break down the barrier. The copper ion helps the aluminum separate from the oxygen so that the aluminum can react with t=he chloride. The breakdown of the aluminum leads to the lighting of the LED on the Breadboard.
reflection
I really enjoyed this project because it was really fun to work on. My group and I worked very well together, and we all got along and communicated very well. Brainstorming different ideas for reactions to include in our project was extremely fun because the guidelines for the project allowed us a lot of freedom with what we could do. It was also very rewarding to finally see our project work in the end. One thing my group could have done better was manage our time more towards working on the written portion of the assignment. We finished building our real project in the time that we were aiming for, but we had to write the chemistry concepts in the last minute before the project was due. One thing our group worked very well on was all participating in building the project together, and we all played a significant part in the building process. This project was very fun for me, and because I was passionate about building it, I lead my group in working diligently. We finished building the "rough draft" of our project in good time, which allowed us plenty of time to build a final model that worked consistently.