Limiting reagent lab vinegar and baking soda

Chemistry 1 (SCIH 031 062)

Be sure to include ALL pages of this project (including the directions and the assignment) when you send the project to your teacher for grading. Don’t forget to put your name and I.D. number at the top of this page!

This project will count for 10% and is worth 100 points of your overall grade for this course. Be sure to read all the instructions and assemble all the necessary materials before you begin. You will need to print this document and complete it on paper. Feel free to attach extra pages if you need them.

When you have completed this project you may submit it electronically through the online course management system by scanning the pages into either .pdf (Portable Document Format), or .doc (Microsoft Word document) format. If you scan your project as images, embed them in a Word document in .gif image format. Using .gif images that are smaller than 8 x 10 inches, or 600 x 800 pixels, will help ensure that the project is small enough to upload. Remember that a file that is larger than 5,000 K will NOT go through the online system. Make sure your pages are legible before you upload them.** Check the instructions in the online course for more information.

Project 4- Balancing Equations

Purpose: Writing a balanced chemical equation is at the core of many important chemical concepts. The equation is a descriptive narrative, or story, about a specific event. The story is told from the viewpoint of atoms, ions, and molecules. The narrative, however, includes more than just a description. It also includes quantitative information about moles. The coefficients in front of each component in a balanced equation can be taken as representations of the moles of each reactant and product. The ratio of moles between each component allows for predictions of “how much is needed” and “how much can be formed.” In that sense, the mole ratio is similar to the specifics in a cooking recipe.

If two components are shown to be reacting with a balanced equation, the mole ratio between the two components dictates the quantity that must be present in order for the components to have the opportunity to fully react. If one of the components in an experiment is below the amount needed to fully react with the other component, then the deficient one is called the limiting reactant.

The reaction between baking soda (NaHCO3) and vinegar (dilute acetic acid: CH3COOH) produces CO2 and H2O. In this project, you will perform several experiments with different amounts of reactants to determine which amounts present a limiting reactant situation.

Safety Awareness: The ingredients you will use in this project are common household substances and, as such, are relatively safe to handle (do not ingest any of the substances). The small amounts of reactants in the reaction produces CO2 gas with some degree of pressure so do not exceed these amounts, and do not allow the pressure to build beyond the limits of the container. Dispose of the balloons and contents in an appropriate trash container.