Name: ____________________________
Period: __________
20-minute Chemistry Labs
READ ALL DIRECTIONS AND QUESTIONS AT EACH LAB STATION!
Station 1: Which Dissolves Faster?
There are many factors that can affect the rate of a chemical reaction. Some examples include
temperature, the amount of reactants, and surface area.
Reactants are substances you mix together to create a chemical reaction.
Products are the substances we get after a chemical reaction occurs.
Surface Area of a chemical is the amount of a substance that is exposed.
For example, a sugar cube placed in water only gets wet on the outside at
first. Therefore, sugar cubes have low surface area. When crushed sugar
(regular table sugar) is placed in water ALL of the sugar gets wet right
away. Therefore, crushed sugar has a very high surface area.
Directions: Complete the following chemical combinations that are listed in the table below in a
plastic cup. Make sure you have a timer ready to record when each substance dissolves. Record all of
your observations and times in the table below.
Reactant
Amount of Water
Trial 1
Sugar (crushed)
50 mL Warm Water
Trial 2
Sugar Cube
50 mL Warm Water
Trial 3
Antacid Tablet
50 mL Warm Water
Trial 4
Antacid Tablet
(crushed)
50 mL Warm Water
Observations
Time to Dissolve (s)
MAX of 3 minutes
1) Explain why crushed substances dissolve more quickly than uncrushed substances. Use your
new vocabulary to explain.
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Station 2: Hot & Cold Reactions
Some chemical reactions give off heat, while other chemical reactions absorb heat (they get cold!).
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Exothermic reactions give off heat.
Endothermic reactions absorb heat (get cold).
You are about to complete two chemistry labs in Ziploc bags. One of them will be exothermic and the
other endothermic. Your job is to complete each reaction, determine the temperature change that
occurs, and determine what type of reaction you performed.
Experiment 1:
Experiment 2:
1) In a Ziploc bag, combine 5 grams of
calcium chloride and 2.5 grams of
baking soda. Mix reactants together.
2) Place 5 mL of phenol red and 5 mL of
water in a plastic cup.
3) Get the starting temperature of your
liquid. Place the thermometer in your
Ziploc bag.
4) Zip close your Ziploc bag half way and
get ready to pour the liquids into the
bag.
5) Pour the liquids into the bags and zip it
shut immediately.
6) Record the new temperature and all
observations into your table.
7) Clean the thermometer and wash out
your bag.
Starting
Temperature
Reaction
Temperature
1) Add 10 grams of ammonium chloride to
a Ziploc bag.
2) Put 15mL of water in a beaker and get
the starting temperature.
3) Place the thermometer in your Ziploc
bag.
4) Zip close your Ziploc bag half way and
get ready to pour the water into the bag.
5) Pour the water into the bags and zip it
shut immediately.
6) Record the new temperature and all
observations into your table.
7) Clean the thermometer and wash out
your bag.
Observations
Exothermic or
Endothermic
Experiment 1
Experiment 2
1) Briefly explain the difference between endothermic and exothermic reactions in your own words.
Provide examples from your lab:
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Station 3: Chemical Reactions with a Lot of Gas
Many chemical reactions result in the production of a gas. Remember, the law of
conservation of mass states that matter cannot be created or destroyed. When gas
is produced in an experiment it comes directly from our reactants. Therefore, the
more reactants we have… the more gas we should get! Let’s check this theory.
Directions: Complete each experiment below and write your data and
observations in the table.
Experiment 1: Baking Soda & Vinegar
1) In an Erlenmeyer Flask place 5 grams of baking soda.
2) Get 10 mL of vinegar and a balloon ready.
3) With a partner, place the vinegar in the Erlenmeyer Flask and IMMEDIATLEY cover the
Erlenmeyer Flask with your balloon trapping the gas inside.
4) Using a string, measure the circumference of the balloon and place this in your data table.
Experiment 2: Citric Acid & Baking Soda
1) In an Erlenmeyer Flask place 20 mL of water and 3 grams of baking soda. Mix well.
2) Get 3 grams of citric acid and a balloon ready.
3) With a partner, place the citric acid in the Erlenmeyer Flask and IMMEDIATLEY cover the
Erlenmeyer Flask with your balloon trapping the gas inside.
4) Using a string, measure the circumference of the balloon and place this in your data table.
Experiment 1
Experiment 2
Experiment 3
Ingredient 1
5 grams
Baking Soda
3 grams
Baking Soda
Ingredient 2
10 mL Vinegar
Ingredient 3
20 mL Water
3 grams Citric
Acid
___ grams of
Baking Soda
___ mL
Vinegar
Observations
Circumference
Experiment 3: Try to prove that changing the amount of reactants will change our amount of gas
(product). Repeat the baking soda and vinegar experiment, but change the amount of ingredients.
Predict what will happen before you begin. Write your observation in the data table above.
1) Did the results from experiment three match your prediction? Explain your answer.
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Station 4: Heavy Metal & Acid
Many metals are highly reactive with acid. During this lab you will figure out which
metals do react with acids violently, which react slowly, and which metals do not
react at all.
WARNING: Acids are highly corrosive and can seriously injure your skin. Make
sure you are wearing goggles, aprons and gloves when using acid. Avoid all contact
with your skin and belongings.
Prediction: Below write down your prediction. Which metal will have the…
Most violent reaction: ___________ Slow Reaction: ___________ No reaction: _____________
Directions:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Fill a 250 mL beaker with 3 mL of HCl acid.
Place one piece of zinc moss in a beaker. Observe for 4 minutes. Write down observations.
Place one piece of copper in the same beaker. Observe for 2 minutes. Write down observations.
Pour used acid down the sink drain. Add 3 mL of HCl back into the beaker. Place one piece of
aluminum foil in the beaker. Tilt the beaker to submerge the aluminum ball. Observe for 4
minutes. Write down observations, including how hot the beaker feels.
5) Pour left over acid directly down drain and rinse glassware.
Metal in 3 mL HCl
Zinc
Observation
Draw a Picture of Reaction
Copper
Aluminum Foil
1) Which metal appeared to have the most violent reaction with HCl?
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2) Did your results match your prediction? Explain.
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3) Why do you think one of the metals did not react with acid?
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