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Tops Analysis - experiments 7 & 8
Originally Posted by Debbie in Bailey View Post Okay, first, if you've done #5 and #6 (Reaction Tables), you should have no problem with #7 and 8. You can do this! You'll use what you learned about certain substances in # 5 and #6 (how they react to other substances and heat).
You mix the powders as described in the teacher materials.
Then, your student tests the mystery powders the way he/she did for #5 and #6. Use the baking soda, vinegar and iodine to test the mystery powders as you did with the previous "known" powders. Since you now know how the "knowns" react (from the previous experiments), you can tell when they are or aren't present in the mystery powder. As for the heat, heat the mystery powders just as you did with the known powders. Use the paperclip/foil contraption and a candle.
You aren't just looking at the results of the tests you ran in the previous experiments, you actually test the mystery powders and use the results you know to determine what's in the mystery.
Take a look at the purpose of #7 - at the top of the page: "(TO) qualitatively analyze the composition of variousmixtures of whate powders, using testing agents that react in characteristic ways."
Take a look at the materials list on the teacher's page. You need the scoops, the testing liquids, and the heat source.
They don't want to specifically tell the kids how to test each powder. They want the kids to have the materials at their disposal, plus the knowlege of how those testing agents react with certain powders, and then let the kids work out how to test a mystery powder to determine what's in it.
This is SO REAL LIFE when it comes to science. Can't you just imagine a scientist looking at some unknown substance and trying to determine what it is? Can't you just imagine him/her using methods and known results to make discoveries about the unknown?