CHEMICAL REACTIONS - ANCHORING PHENOMENON
IPC – Mr. Coburn
What are chemical reactions?
What happens during chemical reactions?
Introduction A chemical reaction, is a process in which one or more substances, called the reactants, are
converted to one or more different substances called the products. The substances involved
are either chemical elements or compounds. The video link shows some very dramatic
chemical reactions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T14D61PdYko
Concept Building Consider the concept that chemical reactions involve chemical change. Remember that
chemical change is different than physical change in that new and different substances are
created with new and different properties.
You may also recall that matter exists as elemental molecules and compounds. Your task will
be to observe some chemical reactions and provide a model that explains these occurrences.
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SAFETY FIRST;
Goggles must be worn throughout the entire experiment.
Exercise caution when dealing with open flames and hot plates.
Procedure – Combustion of Steel Wool
Step 1- Determine the mass of some steel wool and an evaporating dish.
Step 2 - Ignite the steel wool and place in the evaporating dish until the reaction has ceased.
Step 3 – Determine the mass of the remaining material.
steel wool
Original Mass (g)
Final Mass (g)
Tongs
Flame
Procedure – Heating of iron Oxide
Step 1- Determine the mass of some iron oxide and an evaporating dish.
Step 2 – Heat the iron oxide until a noticeable color change occurs.
Step 3 – Determine the mass of the remaining material.
Evaporating dish
with steel wool
Original Mass (g)
Final Mass (g)
Hot Plate
Consider the chemical reactions that you observed and your previous knowledge regarding the
nature of matter (and the models that can be used to represent it). Theorize how chemical
reactions occur and, how can these reactions be represented (modeled).
Homework
Use the work that you did in class and produce a diagram below with your ideas about chemical
reactions to develop a scientific model that explains how chemical reactions occur.
Do you think that your model is sufficient to explain what happens during chemical
reactions? Keep in mind that an acceptable model should 1) be consistent with what is
measured/observed, 2) has the ability to explain phenomena, and 3) can be used to
predict outcomes.
List any questions or information that you believe may be necessary to fully explain and
quantify this phenomenon.
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