Name:
Date:
Active Practice – Mini Lab: Aluminum Foil and Pool Cleaner
The aluminum foil in your kitchen is coated with a type of wax. This is to prevent you from being burned by
the aluminum since it is a strong skin irritant. Common pool cleaner (and other cleaning substances) contains
hydrochloric acid. The acid strips the coating away, exposing the aluminum. Hydrochloric acid reacts rapidly
with aluminum to produce Aluminum Chloride (soluble) and Hydrogen gas. Here’s the reaction:
6HCl(aq) + 2Al(s) –> 2AlCl3(aq) + 3H2(g)
Your reaction is that between aluminum and hydrochloric acid, yielding hydrogen gas and aluminum chloride in
solution. Hydrochloric acid is just hydrogen chlorine gas dissolved in water so you are pretty much talking
about the same thing.
The stinky smell and green liquid are probably due to impurities/perfumes that they put in the cleaner. Pure
hydrogen gas doesn't smell.
Concrete is a mixture of primarily calcium, silicon, and aluminum oxides. Hydrochloric acid reacts vigorously
with these chemicals and it is used to etch and clean concrete. No wonder sidewalk pavement cracks so often!
1. In the space provided below, draw the particle models for the following substances:
Key
= Aluminum
particle
Liquid Aluminum
Chloride
= Chlorine
Particle
= Hydrogen
Particle
Mixture of gases in
balloon
Solid Elemental
Aluminum
= All other
_____ particles
Hydrogen Gas
(Hint: The balloon originally contained all particles already present in atmosphere before reaction)
2. Is it correct to assume that the new liquid produced by the reaction, AlCl3 has properties identical to
Aluminum and Chlorine? Why or why not?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Name:
Date:
Lab Follow Up – Particle Diagrams Practice
1. Which substance has a definite shape and a definite volume?
(A) NaCl (aq)
(B) Cl2 (g)
(C) CCl4 (l)
(D) AlCl3 (s)
Explain your choice: ________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
2. At STP, in which element are the particles in a regular geometric pattern and uniformly filling a closed
container?
(A) Hg
(B) Ag
(C) Ne
(D) Xe
Explain your choice: ________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Which sample is most likely to take the shape of and occupy the total volume of its container?
(A) CO2 (g)
(B) CO2 (l)
(C) CO2 (aq)
(D) CO2 (s)
Explain your choice: ________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
4. List the three common states of matter in order from the state with the fastest moving particles to the state
with the slowest-moving particles.
FASTEST
____________
5. Which
SLOWEST
______________
____________
diagram or diagrams represent a mixture of elements A and B?
(A) X, only
(B) X and Y
(C) Z, only
(D) X and Z
6. Which terms are used to identify pure substances?
(1) an element and a mixture
(3) a solution and a mixture
(2) an element and a compound
(4) a solution and a compound
Name:
Date:
Classifying Matter – Exit Slip
1. Fill in the boxes with appropriate drawings
Base your answers to questions 1 through 3 on the particle diagrams below.
2. Explain why sample C could represent a mixture of fluorine gas and hydrochloric acid.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Draw particle diagrams of solid Aluminum foil, liquid Aluminum Chloride, and gaseous Hydrogen and
include big or small arrows to indicate the speed of the particles.
Solid Elemental
Aluminum
Liquid Aluminum
Chloride
Hydrogen Gas