Rebecca Ledel
Science – H
Happer – 9
Science Lab Individual Project – Hot Ice
Problem:
Is it possible to create hot ice in 4 class periods?
Hypothesis:
With the correct factors and variables we can successfully create hot ice in 4 class
periods.
Variables:
During this experiment the independent variable is the crystallization of the hot ice.
When the hot ice mixture crystallized in the fridge while cooling down you have to start
the entire process again. The dependent variable in the experiment is the temperature in
the fridge in witch the hot ice is stored. This is one of the dependent variables the other
one is the amount of each ingredient that is added to the solution. The second dependent
variable is easier to control than the first one.
Materials:
-Water
-Sodium Chloride
-Hot Plate
-Beaker
-Small Plastic Tray
Procedure:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Turn on the hot plate and put a large beaker on the surface.
Add 20 mL of water to the beaker.
Add Sodium Chloride to the water in the beaker and stir.
Keep adding the Sodium Chloride until the solution becomes super saturated
(This is when the sodium chloride powder refuses to be mixed into the solution
and appears)
5. Once the solution is super saturated move the beaker into the fridge. Keep it there
until it has cooled down. (The time for this is unsure but more than an hour should
be given for the solution to cool)
6. Take the beaker out of the fridge and pour it into the tray.
7. Touch the solution (that is supposed to still be liquid) and it will start freezing up
at your touch.
Conclusion:
For this experiment I believe that my hypothesis was correct, as an overall it just
wasn’t correct for me this time. I said that, “With the correct factors and variables we can
successfully create hot ice in 4 class periods.” The trouble for me with this during the
experiment was successfully finding out some important details of the factors and
variables that create an issue. The two major problems that were presented was that I
didn’t know how fast the super saturated solution I had created would crystallize, I didn’t
know how much time in the fridge it would need to cool down. The second problem was
that I didn’t know how cold the fridge was therefore it was hard to figure out the time that
the solution should stay in there. In the end, I settled for a time limit from 45 minutes to
an hour.
My experiment could never be fully executed this time mainly due to the fact that
every time I attempted to do the experiment the solution always crystallized in the
cooling time and I was forced to restart the whole process again. I would reheat (melt)
and then stir together again. I was disappointed in this fact and I would have been
appreciative if it would have worked. Next time I would go online for helpful tips and
perhaps research the properties of what I was working with more. One tip I found out but
was never able to use was that you dip your finger in sodium chloride before you dip in
the cooled down solution and the turning into ice procession is supposed to go faster.