Chemical Dominoes Project

CONTENT:

In our STEM chemistry class, we have been focusing on our recent unit: chemical reactions. From understanding the different types, how to balance them, and actually performing hands-on lab reactions, we have spent this unit deepening our understanding of how chemical reactions work. Through doing this, we have been able to take things we see in everyday life, and learn the chemical components of how they are able to occur. Examples of chemical reactions in everyday life include photosynthesis, rust, baking, digestion, and combustion.

A chemical equation is a written description of what happens in a chemical reaction. The reactants are the chemical compounds that will be reacting to produce something new (left side). The products are the results of the reaction (right side). There is an arrow inbetween to signify the reaction.

A balanced chemical equation tells you how many of the reactants and products needed to satisfy the Law of Conservation of Mass (which states that matter cannot be produced or destroyed in a closed system). This will eventually show you that each side of the equation will need to have the same amount of each element in order to meet this law.

This is the chemical equation for the reaction in which nitrogen (N₂) and hydrogen (H₂) combine to form ammonia (NH₃):

N₂ + H₂ → NH₃

First, write down how many atoms of each element there are on each side of the reaction arrow. (On the left side--reactants-- there is N: 2 and H: 2. On the right side--products-- there is N: 1 and H: 3)

We CANNOT change subscripts. So now we have to add in coeffcients in order to balance this equation. A coefficient is a number placed in front of a chemical symbol or formula. It shows how many atoms or molecules of the substance are involved in the reaction. We can first add a coefficient "2" in front of the product.

N₂ + H₂ → 2 NH₃

Now we can count the hydrogen atoms on both sides of the arrow. There are 6 hydrogen atoms in the products, so there has to be 6 in the reactants. We can now add a coefficient "3" in front of H₂ to balance hydrogen.

N₂ + 3 H₂ → 2 NH₃

Now we are left with a balnced equation as we can observe the same amount of each type of atom involved on both sides.

EVIDENCE OF WORK

REFLECTION:

As this project was completed in a group, it required a lot of collaboration and problem solving within my group. There were many components of this project. There were the physical aspects of our board which included cutting/sawing, painting, sanding, gluing, etc.. This required teamwork as we were able to split up the work in a way that would help us stay on track of time. Next came writing up the objectives, rules, and safety procedures. We were able to delegate seperate parts to different group members, which not only was an additional time management factor, but it allowed us to all contribute to how we wanted to present the game. Last was the actual chemical reactions. I was able to focus most on this part as I spent a lot of time looking back on previous labs and chemcial reactions we performed in the past to help add to our board. I tested them and was successfully able to come up with our final reactions. So overall, I believe my group and I were very successful in our careful organization and management of this project. We completed all components on time and, through strong communication, were able to execute a final product we were all proud of.

I think something I did well on was my organizing and leadership skills. A lot of the time, I was able to take a management role and help to ensure everything was working smoothly and in an efficient fashion. When I found our group distracted or unproductive, I would try my best to get us back on track and make the most of out time we had together in class. In the past, I wasn't always able to take this kind of leadership. But I have definitely become less timid and able to execute my organization plans.

But there are surely things I can improve on when it came to this project. I often struggled with some of the writing aspects such as the rules and details of how the game worked. One of my teammates had a clear vision and we went with it, but this sometimes had me feeling confused about what exactly I was doing. Though there were many times where our communication was great, I think we could have improved in some areas. I could have possibly expressed my confusion better or asked more question to grasp the concepts better. Another thing I could work on is my collaboration. Again, we were successful in this aspect in a lot of ways, but times we would all be working on different things is an example of something we could fix. Although this sometimes saved time, it was not always the best when it came to putting this project together as a whole.

With all this knowledge I learned through this project, I am confident that I am a stronger chemistry student, as well as group member in my collaboration skills, which is a huge part of our curriculum! I can't wait for what's next!