Chemistry Projects

[Capt Underpants]

I'm taking PAP Chemistry in high school this year. We have a project due in April (I know.. it's a long time away), but I have to turn in different parts of the project periodically throughout the year. Right now, I am just looking for a topic. It (obviously) has to do with chemistry.

Is there a topic anyone can suggest to me? I know some of you have taken college level chemistry classes, and you know some pretty cool stuff, so I bet you will be able to help me out with this one. I don't want something too easy, or too hard. I just want a good project that, if done well, is likely to make the grade, and teach me things along the way.

Thanks for the help!

[musicpyrite]

I can't tell you any of my ideas because you might steel them. ;) :p

I just started school today, and will be having my first chemistry class tomorrow.


If you can, you could try to make explosives.
Rockets are always good. (specifically making your own fuel, and testing it)


Just google it, there are loads of ideas. Google is your frined. :)

[jimsowden]

BACKING SODA VOLCANO!

[mlw1235]

Think Oxy, Oxidation. :D :D :D :D

[themadchemist]

Tell us a little bit more about it...To what kind of resources will you have access? Is the project supposed to be experimental or research-based? It would be excellent if you could post any information about the assignment with which your teach provided you. Best of luck!

[Capt Underpants]

My project has to be experimental. As far as resources go, I have the normal high school chemistry lab stuff. I can't elaborate on the resources, because I haven't been in the lab very much. Our teacher said that she expects PAP students to do an AP chem. experiment, and the AP students to do a college level chem. experiment.

[iLikeMyiMac]

How about an experiment on yeast fermentation? :D
Maybe a chromatography experiment.

[nizz]

what are PAP classes?

[Capt Underpants]

what are PAP classes?

Pre AP

[MongoTheGeek]

Dust Explosions...
Learn why that although flour and baking soda both look similar one is good to throw and a fire and the other is really bad.

[Neserk]

Pre AP


LOL.... pre AP... wow, I never got to do anything fun in science class. I took AP biology but never bothered with the test. That was my favorite semester but because of budget constraints we didn't do anything "Real."

[themadchemist]

You could do a simple organic synthesis...I mean really simple. What if you did the following (I'll find the experimental procedures if I can):

It's called the Williamson Ether Synthesis. It's classic. You take an alcohol (say, ethanol) and react it with a alkane not substituted except for a bromine (say, ethyl bromide). You get an ether. In this case, you would get ethoxy ethane. I think it's with heat, but I don't remember.

If you have spectroscopic equipment (at best, you'd probably have an IR), you could check to see if the reaction went to completion.

It would be a one-step reaction and it's tried and true so you could be sure it worked. It's rudimentary, but I'd daresay it's more than enough for high school.

You could also do a write up about the significance of ethers, etc. You'll learn a bit of orgo, too; definitely a lot more than you would learn in an AP Chem class.

[Capt Underpants]

You could do a simple organic synthesis...I mean really simple. What if you did the following (I'll find the experimental procedures if I can):

It's called the Williamson Ether Synthesis. It's classic. You take an alcohol (say, ethanol) and react it with a alkane not substituted except for a bromine (say, ethyl bromide). You get an ether. In this case, you would get ethoxy ethane. I think it's with heat, but I don't remember.

If you have spectroscopic equipment (at best, you'd probably have an IR), you could check to see if the reaction went to completion.

It would be a one-step reaction and it's tried and true so you could be sure it worked. It's rudimentary, but I'd daresay it's more than enough for high school.

You could also do a write up about the significance of ethers, etc. You'll learn a bit of orgo, too; definitely a lot more than you would learn in an AP Chem class.

Thanks, themadchemist. I'll definitely look into that. It's really hard to find good chemistry experiments online, for some reason. I do appreciate the help, guys. I'm going to talk to my chem teacher tomorrow.

[Angelus]

If you want dust explosions, check out the lycopodium bomb.
It's cool.I second the suggestion to do simple organic synthesis exp's. You could also try this(it's a rates of reaction exp)

Demonstration of the oxidation of potassium sodium tartrate by hydrogen peroxide, catalysed by cobalt(II) salts.

If i remember correctly, the liquid in the beaker is red originally. Catalysation by cobalt causes it to go green while the intermediate compund is formed and then it goes back to red again at the end of the reaction. This could be good since it ties in with the intermediate theory(i think)

If you're really stuck and your backs against the wall you gotta play the trump card that is ....."the iodine snake" experiment :)
Take one large plastic bottle. Add potassium iodide and washing up detergent. Then add hydrogen peroxide to the cocktail. The hydrogen peroxide is decomposed in the presence of potassium iodide. This liberates lots of gas (if memory serves) which causes the detergent to shoot up out of the bottle spout in a long stream===>"snake"

[MongoTheGeek]

If you want dust explosions, check out the lycopodium bomb.


Normal flour works almost as well.

I once saw a great demonstration that was called the 3 penny reaction. There were 3 beakers with clear liquids connected together. When 3 old pennies were dropped in, it set off a set of reactions leaving one beaker red, another white and the third blue.

[nishi]

hi, :confused:
Actually this not a reply. But a question. I am a class 12 student from Delhi (India).
I was looking for an answer to my question on google.com where i saw this link. I think you might be able to answer this ques.
I wanted to make a project on "To determine the amount of Vitamin C present in different juices" .
Please tell me how to go about it. :confused:


Here is What Have I Done?
I took 10 ml of lemon juice. Added phenolphthalein indicator to it. Titrated it against 0.1 N NaOH solution. This will tell me the amount of acid present in the juice.


Question: Will the other acids present in juice not react with NaOH ?
Are the other acids (e.g. citric acid) present in the juice have
negligible amount ?


If this method is incorrect PLEASE tell me a better method.
kindly help me as soon as possible. :o


Thank You,
Nishi. :)