Investigation Plan

The copper and silver nitrate reminds me mostly of the second lab which was the aluminum and blue stuff lab. In this lab we found that the chlorine switched the bonds between the aluminum and the copper. In the pipes we have copper so we can assume that some chemical is making the copper switch bonds with the silver in the silver nitrate. When looking at the observations between the copper in liquid form, from the aluminum and blue stuff lab, and the liquid after in the copper and silver nitrate, they are the same. This shows that they are both copper in liquid form. Due to the law of conservation of mass we can't have anything that we didn't have before. Therefore we have Chlorine in one reaction and Nitrate in the other. I decided to take the nitrate out of the silver nitrate because the copper pipe in the reaction has a sort of silver colored metal stuck to it therefore the silver in not in liquid form any more because metals are insoluble in water. After all of these observations I think that the nitrate acted just like the chlorine and they switched the bonds after the reaction. This was a single replacement because they just switched one thing in the chemical reactions.

Chemical Equation

3AgNO3+3Cu ---- 3Ag+3CuNO3

In order to test this reaction we can start by analyzing the leftover substance that was left on the copper wire. We need to test to see if it is in fact silver. One possible way to do this is by taking the liquid from the reaction and running an electrical current through it. Once this happens we should see copper forming on the wire and the water should begin to clear up. Once we have conducted the battery test we can see that this fully supports and answers the question. What we would see happening with the battery would be the same thing that happened in the last part of the iodine and zinc lab. Once we had the zinc iodide we were able to separate the bond with the help of the battery. The battery test will show that the copper from the wire is in the water with the nitrate due to the law of conservation of mass. Once we separate the two the only leftover part is the silver which is located on the copper wire. This is a very good test because it applies what we have learned in the water investigation lab and the zinc and iodine lab.

First Lab - Water Investigation

For our first lab we are testing water to see how much gas it has inside. We hooked up wires into the tubes of water and then we connected those wires to the tubes of water and ran current through them. Once the electrical current was running through it then we can see that there was gas bubble forming on the tubes. Soon after the tops of the tubes have gas. We tested the gas to see what it was by using a match lit on fire.

CER-  The water molecules contain Hydrogen and Oxygen gasses. After doing the experiment we observed that as the electricity goes through the wires the bubbles started to float. One tube had more gas than the other because the H2O atom has 2 hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. When we burnt the gas we got two different reactions. In the one that had more gas we heard a popping sound which pertains to the hydrogen burning. In the one that had less gas we had the matchstick glow brighter due to the extra oxygen aiding the flame. In this experiment we proved how the H2O molecule has both hydrogen and oxygen gas.

 Connection to our Big Problem- In this experiment we found how the electric current passes through the wire and causes bonds on atoms to split. This procedure is very helpful because we can use it to prove that a chemical reaction occurred. In our pipe problem we can use this battery to split the bond between the nitrate and the copper.

Fourth Lab- Zinc and Iodine Lab

For our last lab we summed up all we learned and applied it to one lab. We started by taking vinegar and mixing it with 2.14 grams of iodine. Then we added 2.39 grams of zinc to the reaction flask. Then we mixed until a chemical reaction occurred. The liquid went from brown to clear and the temperature increased. we took the liquid and solid leftover from the reaction and we heated them to eliminate any water in it. Once the water was gone we took the mass to see how much Zinc reacted with Iodine.

CER- In this reaction we found out that the Zinc makes 2 bonds with Iodine. When we took the after measures we calculated the mass of the particles to see how to make the bonding pattern. Since we started with 2.39 grams of zinc and 2.14 grams of iodine. We found the how much moles of zinc and iodine we have. Then we took the molar mass of both to determine the moles. Once we got 0.03 moles of Zinc and 0.01 moles of iodine. Then we divided them by to get 2.16 which can be rounded to 2 therefore we can assume there were 2 bonds. This is also proven by the fact that there was leftover zinc in the bottom of the flask. When we finished the experiment we took a battery and we separated the new zinc iodide. In one wire we had a lot of dark colored iodine and in the other there was a small amount of zinc. We can assume that in the bond there was more iodine than zinc.

Connection to Big Problem- In this lab we practiced how to correctly create bonding patterns using the mass and the moles. This was also done in the Magnesium oxide lab. In our pipe problem we can use this information to find correct bonding pattern.

Third Lab- Magnesium and Oxygen Lab

For the third lab we were investigating how magnesium reacts with oxygen. We set up the lab by putting a piece of magnesium in a crucible and heating it up with a flame. Once the temperature started rising the magnesium started to glow and the reaction happened.

CER- The magnesium and the oxygen have the ratio of 1:1 which means that the magnesium and the oxygen are bonded which each other. When we conducted the experiment we heated it up. This was a combustion reaction because the oxygen from the fire was involved. Once the silver colored magnesium reacted we observed a white substance. Due to the law of conservation of mass we know that the Magnesium reacted with the oxygen because we didn't put anything else in the crucible. However we didn't know the bonding pattern. Since transition metals are not very predictable then we need to find how many moles of Oxygen reacted with how many moles of Magnesium. We found the molar mass of Magnesium and Oxygen and set up a ratio to find the correct bonding pattern. Once we calculated the molar masses and compared them as a ratio the we rounded to 1:1. This shows that they were bonded to each other. After doing the math we know that this is the correct ratio.

Connection to our "Big Problem"-  In this lab we discovered how to find bonding patterns using moles and molecular mass. Given that transition metal bonding pattern's are very hard to predict this experiment helped us understand that. In our pipe problem one of the main elements involved is copper and silver in the form of silver nitrate these are transition metals. Since they are transition metals we have a way of truly identifying the bonding patterns. Once we gained this insight we were able to give you a accurate model of Silver Nitrate and Copper.

Second Lab- Aluminum and Blue Substance.

For the second lab we decided to investigate how aluminum changes when we add a mysterious blue liquid. After adding the aluminum and letting it rest for a weekend we came back to find a red substance shaped like the aluminum and the water was clear.

CER- The mysterious stuff in the beaker is copper. When we conducted the experiment we got aluminum foil and put it in this beaker filled with a strange blue liquid. We didn't know what was in the blue liquid. When we put in the aluminum into the blue liquid it started to turn red and after a day there was a red chunk in the water. We then tested the red chunk to see if there was rust or copper. We burnt the piece of the red substance and rust. When we compared both flames the red chunk emitted a turquoise colored flame. From this experiment we can see that the red substance is indeed copper. We also tested to see if there was copper in the liquid. We took the clear liquid and then we added ammonium hydroxide to the clear liquid and it turned to the jelly like substance. If this jelly reaction occurred then the water had Aluminium. After analyzing where the aluminum came from I realized that we put in aluminum and got out copper. Therefore we can infer that the copper and the aluminum switched places.

Connection to our "Big Problem"- In this experiment we found out that certain chemicals can cause bonds to break and create new ones. In this experiment we found out that the blue water had copper bonded with chlorine. Then we added the aluminum and the chlorine bonded to the chlorine and the copper was left alone therefore the water turned clear and the ball of silver aluminum turned into a chunk of red copper. What was a takeaway from this lab was the fact that certain substances cause the copper to switch bonds. Since copper is in our San Francisco pipes then we need to understand that the pipe corrosion may be caused by a chemical like chlorine.

San Francisco Pipe Problem

Recently there has been a problem with the pipes in San Francisco. There have been reports about pipes starting to corrode and turn blue. These pipes are coming from the hospital which washes Silver Nitrate down the drain. We also know that there are copper pipes in the hospital. The board of the city is trying too fix the problem. We have been doing some experiments to fully understand the problem and to fix it as soon as possible. I will be uploading the series of experiments within the posts there will be a explanation, a Claim Evidence Reasoning paragraph, a particle drawing, and a connection to this overall problem. Stay Tuned!