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Chemical or Physical Change?

Chemical or Physical Change?
Contributors
Mollie Enright
Beyond Benign, Inc.
Annette Sebuyira
Retired K-12 Educator | Beyond Benign, Inc.
Janie Butler
Fostering Learners + Leaders in Sustainable STEM | Science Done Sustainably
Beyond Benign
Beyond Benign, Inc.
Learning Objets
Summary
This lab replaces traditional reactions involving chemicals such as cupric chloride (copper (II) chloride), 6 M hydrochloric acid, potassium hydroxide, and copper (II) sulfate. Students will understand the difference between chemical and physical changes while using all greener materials.

This lab is designed for when for students have minimal lab experience. The goal is to use observations of different types of reactions to discover common threads, ultimately leading to conclusions regarding evidence of chemical reactions. Students will ultimately learn the difference between chemical and physical changes. The goal of the lab is to dispel common misconceptions (e.g., boiling water is not a chemical change).
Keyword Tags
Chemical Changes
Physical Changes
File (PDF, PPT, image, etc)
chemical_or_physical.docx
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.59877/UQMS4040
Learning Goals/Student Objectives
Educational Goal: Students will understand …
• How to make observations
• That inferences then lead to conclusions
• The difference between an observation and the interpretation of the observation
• What type of change suggests a chemical reaction
• What type of a change suggests a physical change

Student Objectives: Students will …
• Use basic lab procedures
• Makes observations
• Make inferences from the observations
• Understand and be able to identify the difference between a chemical change and a physical change
• Practice lab safety
Object Type
Laboratory experiment
Audience
High School (Secondary School)
Common pedagogies covered
Hands-on learning
Green Chemistry Principles
Waste Prevention
Atom Economy
Less Hazardous Chemical Syntheses
Designing Safer Chemicals
Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries
Use of Renewable Feedstocks
Design for Degradation
Safer Chemistry for Accident Prevention
Safety Precautions, Hazards, and Risk Assessment
Safety information:
Do not allow students to eat food materials (such as Pixie sticks) that come in contact with any lab equipment or contaminated surfaces.
Acetic acid, although very dilute in this lab, is a skin irritant and if it comes into contact with the skin should be washed immediately with soap and water.
Sodium bicarbonate solution, also very dilute, is a skin irritant, and if it comes into contact with the skin should be washed immediately with soap and water.
The sparkler is going to become hot and spray sparks. As such, do NOT light the sparkler near anything flammable. In addition, ensure to hold it at arm’s length from the body.
Use caution when using boiling water as this can cause severe burns to the skin.
Teacher Recommendations or Piloting Data (if available)
na
NGSS Standards, if applicable
• HS-PS1-2. Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns in chemical properties.

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Submitted by

Sarah Prescott
Published on
Moderation state
Published
Time required (if applicable)
Two x 45-60 Minute Class Periods
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.