Lab of Epic Proportions

We did a lab a little while ago, but I forgot to post about it so here we go. After passing the pre-lab quiz, which wasn't too complicated this time, but involved predicting the products in a reaction, Hamming and I set off to the lab station. We were to combine 2 reactants in a well plate and watch the reaction occur and record which ones formed a product and which ones didn't. Many of them didn't have reactions, but some of the reactions were pretty cool. In order to complete the rest of the lab, we had to complete the net ionic equations that reflected the outcome of each reaction that DID occur. Doing this was good practice for doing this type of problem, which will definitely be on our unit test Thursday.

Preparing for the Unit Test Monday

In preparation for our test on Monday, I really need to review the information more than usual. I also need to complete the rest of the suggested homework because my quiz score reflected my lack of core knowledge on this unit despite my studying. I think I will get together with some friends in a sort of study session fashion and bounce ideas off of each other so we can all have a better understanding of this unit. I tend to find that other peers know how to put the information into terms and ways that I am able to easily understand. I will also make sure to look over my notes from previous lectures in this unit and from other units to help me remember those concepts for the cumulative review. Overall, the quiz we took this week was a wake-up call for me to realize that I need to know the unit inside and out in order to achieve better scores on the test and remember the information for the final.

Formula of a Chloride Lab

Today was a good day. I got into the lab, and it turned out to be a fun experience. But, since Hamming wasn't there, it was a shame I didn't get a chance to work on it with him. Mackenzie and I, though, were able to complete the lab with an extremely small percentage of error. We took the correct measurements and used them with the skills from yesterday's lecture in order to calculate the empirical formula of the zinc chloride compound. Overall, these calculations were much more fun to make since we actually gathered the data for ourselves this time.

Below, you can find some pictures from the lab today:

Lab Disappointment With a Hint of Reassurance

Today, my lab partner and I attempted to complete the pre-lab question in order to get into the "Formula of a Hydrate Lab". My part of the question was fairly simple since it was just explaining what LD50 meant, which is 50% of the lethal dose of the given substance. Hamming's part was much more complicated as he had to complete the conversions for the lab and identify the chemical formula used in the lab. We ended up not passing the pre-lab and were not able to complete the lab, and we were fed data. Although sad, we were able to practice the conversions and I was very pleased that I knew what I was doing with that and got the correct answer. This whole thing was very good practice for our quiz tomorrow that will prove to be challenging because we will have a lot of conversions to complete in not a substantial amount of time. I will need to make sure to review polyatomics and naming in order to feel confident going into the quiz tomorrow!

Below you will see a quick review of these polyatomic ions we need to know:

Chemical Composition Pre-Test Woes

Today in class, we took our Pre-Test for the Chemical Composition Unit. Some of the things on the test were familiar because we had briefly touched on mols with "Mole Day" being 2 weeks ago and our project we were supposed to do for that. Because of this, I'm sure I got at least 1 question right because it referred to Avagadro and his ownership of the unit of moles and I remembered that from looking up funny mole puns to use for my stuffed mole project. Overall though, I feel that I have a lot to learn in order to succeed in this unit and I'm ready to feel confident on these upcoming quizzes and tests!