Lab 2B: Atomic Mass of Candiu

Lab 2B: Atomic Mass of Candium

The purpose of the Atomic Mass of Candium Lab was to practice calculating atomic mass using the percentage of how abundant the isotope is. In the lab, we were given three different isotopes of the element cadmium: regular, pretzel, and peanut. We measured the mass of each type of isotope and counted the the amount of each type of the isotopes. Next, we determined the average mass of each isotope by dividing the total mass of the isotope by the number of each type of isotope. When we had the average mass of the isotopes we had to determine the abundance of each type. To do this, we counted all the samples of candium and used the number of isotopes to find the percentage. Then we used the formula below to calculate the average atomic mass; the average atomic mass of candium is 1.356 amu.

Question 1: The differences between the average atomic masses between groups is a result of the small sample size. Because of the small sample size, outlier data had a greater affect on the data, something which would not cause a problem if the sample size was large.

Question 2: The differences between the groups average atomic masses would be smaller if given a larger sample size, because outlying data would not have such a drastic effect on the results. For example, when scientists took the average atomic mass of elements they used a very large sample size and compared it to every form of the element on Earth.

The different isotopes of candium.

Question 3: No, because the average atomic mass is calculated after recording many samples of candium, so it would not have the same mass.

The element Candium on the periodic table.

Lab 2A: Chromatography Lab

Lab 2A: Chromatography Lab

Question 1:  It is crucial that only the wick be submerged in the water and that the water climbs up by capillary action so that the ink branches out and the color is aloud to spread out completely. If the whole filter paper was submerged, the result would be that the ink would not completely spread out and all the colors would not be revealed.

Question 2: Some of the variables that have an impact on what pattern of colors are produced are the distance of the ink marks from the center of the filter paper, the amount of ink used in a mark, the type of writing utensil that is used, and the brand of the marker or pen.

Question 3:  The black ink separates into the different bands of color because the black ink is comprised of different components and colors.

Question 4: The color yellow appeared in every lab groups chromatograph. The colors appear in similar orders because the pen's ink is of a similar composition. Another factor in the order of colors could be that the pens and markers are made from a single company.

Question 5: Only water soluble markers and pens were used in the experiment because permanent markers do not wash away easily in water, so water would not be an effective solvent for permanent markers. The experiment could be modified by changing the solvent from water to something that could dissolve the permanent marker.

Our best attempt at Chromatography

Lab 1B: Aluminum Foil Lab

Lab 1B: Aluminum Foil Lab Part II

Introduction: The purpose of the aluminum foil lab was to determine the thickness of a piece of aluminum foil. While conducting the experiment our lab group had to find the mass and volume of an aluminum cylinder in part I of the lab to determine the density of the material. This information would be a critical part of finding the required information regarding the foil. The next step was to measure the mass of the foil using a scale, and after possessing that information our team could find the volume of the foil by using the formula: volume equals mass divided by density or v=m/d. Then we could measure the length and width of the foil, and to find the height we could use the formula: height equals volume over length times width or h=v/l*w. This would give us the thickness of the aluminum foil.

Procedure: The materials that were crucial to the experiment were an aluminum foil, a ruler, a graduated cylinder, and a scale. The first step in order to derive the thickness was to establish the density of the foil. We did this using a aluminum cylinder in part one. We measured the cylinder on the scale and found that the mass was 105.3 grams. The next step was to find the volume of it so we displaced it in a graduated cylinder and our measurement for the volume was 38.0 milliliters. Using the formula d=m/v we could calculate that the density of the aluminum cylinder was 2.77 g/cm^3. Now that we knew the density we could precede to find the mass of the foil by using the scale, and we found that the mass was 0.41 grams. Now we could finally find the volume of the foil and by dividing the mass by the density we found that the volume was 0.15cm^3. Using our rulers, the next step was to measure the length and width of the foil. The length was 10.0 centimeters and the width was 9.55 centimeters. The final step was to substitute this information into the formula h=v/l*w to find that the thickness of the foil was 0.016 milliliters.

Data: The data for this experiment consisted of mainly the mass, volume, and density of the aluminum cylinder which was 105.3 grams, 38.0 milliliters, and 2.77 g/cm^3 respectively. The data for the aluminum foil was comprised of the length of 10.0 centimeters, the width of 9.55 centimeters, the mass of 0.41 grams, and the density of 2.77 g/cm^3.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the purpose of the lab to determine the thickness of a piece of aluminum foil was accomplished in one trial. There were no errors that had a noticeable outcome on the experiment, and if there were any errors they most likely were caused by measuring errors and significant figure errors. Our team learned that precision is required when measuring objects and that significant figures should always be checked. Our team also was reminded to properly clean up any materials left over and the workspace. For future labs similar to this one, changes I would make to improve the results would be to double check measurements and significant figures

Lab 1A: Density Block Lab

Lab 1A: Density Block Lab

Introduction: The purpose of the density block lab was to derive the value of the mass, the amount of matter in something, of a plastic block using only the density, the measure of the compactness of something.  and the volume, the amount of space a substance occupies, of the block. The provided materials were a ruler, a plastic block, and a sticker on the plastic block with the density written on it. We derived the volume by measuring the length, height, and width of the block, and then we multiplied it by the density to calculate the experimental mass.

Procedure: My lab partner and I were provided a ruler to measure the dimensions of the block, the density of the block, and the block itself. First we measured the dimensions of the block and found the mass. Then we multiplied the volume with the given density to find the mass. The last step was to measure the actual mass of the block with a scale and compare the two measurements. The first three trials our calculated mass was not close to the actual mass with our calculated mass ranging from eight to twenty percent. Our fourth and final trial gave us a more accurate answer that was only .29% off of the actual mass.

Data: Our final result from the Density Block Lab was only .29% difference from the actual mass and was very accurate.

Conclusion: Our lab team fulfilled the purpose of the lab by determining the mass of the plastic block using its density and volume. There were no significant problems or errors that occurred during the lab assignment other than possibly error regarding the readings of the ruler, however this would only influence the uncertain number in the significant figure by a minuscule amount. From the lab our team learned the importance of data recording and taking precise measurements while doing a lab assignment. The accuracy of the results depend on the accuracy of the measurements. For future investigations it would be advantageous to use a ruler that had even more precise measurements. The rulers that we were given measured to the tenths place, but a ruler that measured to the hundredths place would yield more accurate answers.