Report on Acid Rain - The Problem and Solution
Report on Acid Rain The Problem of Acid Rain Acid rain is a well-known phrase that is being heard more and more often during the past few decades. We all know that it exists but many do not understand what it is. Acid rain is formed when several gases dissolve in rainwater to form acids. The most common natural acid forming gases are carbon dioxide and chlorine (from salt), which dissolve to form carbonic acid and hydrochloric acid. Carbonic acid is very weak, and little hydrochloric acid is formed, as chlorine is quite rare. The most common cause of acid rain is sulphur dioxide, which causes 70 percent of acid rain, with other oxides of nitrogen causing the 30 percent. Acid rain is a widespread problem and can travel long distances. This map shows the affect it has had on forests in northern Europe. Acid rain acidifies lakes and streams and contributes to damage of trees and many sensitive forest soils. Acid rain increases the corrosion of building materials and paints, including statues and sculptures that cannot be rebuilt. SO2 and NOx gases and their products can also damage visibility and harm peoples health. Solutions to the Problem The best way to combat acid rain is to reduce the amount of NOx and SO2 being released into the atmosphere. Catalytic converters in cars can reduce the emissions of NOx by up to 90 percent, but although they are standard in new cars,
The effetct of copper nitrate on the germination of mustard seeds.
The effetct of copper nitrate on the germination of mustard seeds. Aim The aim of the experiment is to investigate the effect of diferent concentrations of copper nitrate upon the growth of germinating mustard seeds. Introduction A seed is an embryo plant and contains within itself all the materials and energy to start off a new plant. germination is started by the rapid uptake of water by the seed resulting in a dramatic increase in mass. although copper is generally an environmental hazard to humans only in regions surrounding mine sites and smelters, it also causes significant crop losses when it accumulates in soil where it is used as a fungicide. plants prevent damage from excess accumulation of the essential nutrient copper by means of internal and root surface mechanisms. most of the functions of copper as a plant nutrient are based on the participation of enzymatically bound copper in redox reactions. some plants growing on mine spoil heaps, which have resistent strains to toxic metal, have caused the plants to have the ability to transport copper out of the cell into the cell wall, so that it has less effect on cell metabolism. these copper tolerant grasses have evolved due to selection pressuresbeing placed on the plants, which has inturn led those who are better adapted, copper tollerant, to survive providing them with a selective advantage. Prediction
Determining the concentration of a limewater solution by volumetric analysis
Determining the concentration of a limewater solution by volumetric analysis The best way to determine the concentration of a solution is by a titration, and as limewater (Ca(OH)2(aq)) is a base an acid/base titration would be most useful: Ca(OH)2(aq) + 2HCl(aq) 2H2O(l) + CaCl2(l) Precautions to take: working with chemicals, e.g. corrosive hydrochloric acid, means goggles should be worn as well as an apron to protect clothes and care must be taken in handling them, e.g. phenolphthalein is flammable. To get make accurate measurements of fluid bring to eyelevel and measure from the meniscus. To ensure that this test is fair there is only one dependent variable, the amount of titrant used. Using the same volumes of other chemicals throughout in an accurate way and keeping the surrounding conditions the same with a thermostat in the room also maintains a fair test as well as accurate results. The first thing to do is to dilute the hydrochloric acid titrant. To do this gather: * a 250cm3 volumetric flask to store and reduce the concentration of the hydrochloric acid * a smaller 5cm3 pipette for accurately reducing the concentration of the hydrochloric acid * distilled H2O to dilute the... * 2.00 mol dm-3 hydrochloric acid The reason the hydrochloric acid needs to be diluted is because at 2.00mol dm-3 it is a lot more concentrated than the dilute calcium hydroxide i.e.
Relative atomic Mass of Lithium
Determination of the relative atomic mass of Lithium Evaluation I was given a task in which I was had to investigate and determine the relative atomic mass of Lithium. I was given the opportunity to use two different methods of which I could use to get my final result. The practical takes a vast amount of concentration and there are a number of measurement errors that can occur while carrying out the practical. Problems that affected the measurement such as; the equipment being used, not being 100% accurate when measuring out the substances being used, which usually gave an outcome of the readings given being slightly higher or slightly lower than the amount needed. This is evident in the use of the pipette, which expands and contracts due to the temperature and surrounding, so to get what is seen as an accurate reading would be nearly impossible. This degree of uncertainty is referred to as the tolerance. The tolerance could be a problem when the measurements are carried forward to the calculations, for example; when calculating the number of moles of Lithium Hydroxide in the second method. The 100cm3 of water measurement from method 1 would be used to work out the concentration, so an error could just affect the results. These results are the tolerance values for each piece of equipment used within the experiment. * 10cm3 Pipette- (+ or -) 0.04cm3 * 100cm3 Pipette- (+
Investigate the effect of concentration on the rate of reaction between magnesium with hydrochloric acid.
To investigate the effect of concentration the rate of reaction of magnesium with hydrochloric acid I am going to perform this experiment in order to discover how the concentration of an acid affects the rate of the reaction. I am going to perform this test using the following apparatus: A cylinder, Beakers, Stop Clock, Thermometer, goggles, and scissors. I am going to keep all my apparatus at the same room temperature and I am going to do this experiment 3 times in order to maintain a certain level of accuracy. After doing this experiment 3 times, I will average all of the results. The acid in which I am going to use in this experiment is 1M in strength. What I will do is I will use 50cm3 of acid for the first lot of magnesium. I will then take away 5cm3 of the acid and replace it with water so it makes a complete beaker full of 5cm3 water and 45cm3 of acid. I will then continue doing this until I have reached 25cm3 of acid and 25cm3 of water. I will be using magnesium ribbon of which is 2cm in length. I will then, as I put the magnesium, start the clock and time how long the magnesium takes to completely 'disappear'. I will stir the solution once to ensure that the magnesium ribbon is taking to the acid in a correct manner. I will ensure that I wear the appropriate eye protection just in case the acid or any other o substance splash. I will wash up any spillages in the
Investigating the energy change in reactions involving metals
Investigating the energy change in reactions involving metals Aim To find the energy change as we react several group one elements with hydrochloric acid. Hypothesis1 The reactivity of a metal is directly proportional to its position on the periodic table of elements, and is determined by the number of protons and the number of electron shells the atom has. It is said that metals become stronger and more reactive as you move left, because there are less electrons which need to be lost. Metals are also more reactive as you move down the table because the atomic radius becomes larger to an extra filled electron shell, making the outer electrons further away from the nucleus. Electrons are held in their shells by a force from the protons in the nucleus, and the further away the outer electrons are from the nucleus, the less of a pull the nucleus will be able to exert in order to hold the outer electron. Because I have chosen to find the energy change in group one elements, I predict that all three metals, Lithium, Sodium and Potassium, will react violently with hydrochloric acid. More specifically, I hypothesize that Lithium, atomic number 3, will be the least reactive, and thus will produce the least amount of energy. This is because, as you can see on the diagram at the top right, the outer electron is closer to the nucleus than the other two metals, and so the force
To find out what will make the reaction go faster or slower.
Aim:- To find out what will make the reaction go faster or slower. Background Information:- For a chemical reaction to take place particles need to clash into each other. To make a reaction go faster you can heat up the liquid or make the liquid more concentrated. The rate of reaction can be measured by repeating it three times as well as adding more water. Key Factors:- Factors that will affect the reaction are the heat and the amount of water. The things that are varying is the amount of thiosulphate solution and the amount of water. I'm keeping the temperature the same. Method:- Equipment - Measuring cylinder x3 - Sodium thiosulphate solution - Hydrochloric acid - Stop watch - Beaker - Distilled water - White paper with black cross on it - Chronicle flask Step to step method: First you have to get the equipment from the list above. Then put on your safety goggles. We set up the equipment. Then added the amount of thio, hydro and water. We stirred it 10times. Then started the timer. We waited till the solution was cloudy. To make sure it was the same each time we put a black cross underneath it and recorded when you couldn't see the black cross. We carried out all the different volumes of solutions then recorded it into out tables. The different volumes depended on which test we were doing. On test 1 Volume of thio was 25ml, volume of acid
Determine the concentration of limewater.
To determine the concentration of limewater The aim of my experiment is to find the concentration of limewater solution in gdm. To do this, I am required to construct my own experiment and choosing reliable and appropriate apparatus. I will be provided with 250cm of limewater, which contains approximately 1gdm of calcium hydroxide. I also have hydrochloric acid, which has a concentration of 2.00-mol dm , which is too concentrated and will need diluting. Apparatus, equipment and chemicals Pipette 250cm Burette Conical flask 250cm Volumetric flask 250cm Graduated pipette Clamp + stand White tile Indicator (methyl orange) Limewater (250cm with 1gdm of calcium hydroxide) Hydrochloric acid (2.00-mol dm ) Distilled water Squeezing pump Balanced Equation In order to achieve limewater, dissolved slacked lime in water to get a solution of calcium hydroxide (Ca (OH) 2 ) Quicklime + water --------> slaked lime CaO (s) + H2O (l) --------> CaCl2 (aq) + 2H2O (l) In this reaction it shows the calcium oxide reacts with water to produce calcium hydroxide. After adding more water to calcium hydroxide, it produces the saturated aqueous solution known as limewater. Ca(OH) 2 (aq) + HCl (aq) --------> CaCl2 (aq) + 2H2O (l) Method of procedure My first task for this experiment is to dilute the hydrochloric acid. To do this I first needed to work out how many moles I
To find the percentage composition of citric acid in lemon squash. I will do this by finding out the molar concentration of the citric acid in 1L of water.
Aim: To find the percentage composition of citric acid in lemon squash. I will do this by finding out the molar concentration of the citric acid in 1L of water. Prediction: I predict that there will be around 2% of citric acid in lemon squash. I say this, because otherwise the lemon squash would be too acidic, and would not be drinkable. Background Knowledge: Introduction- The goal of this experiment is to determine which fruit , lemon, lime, grapefruit, or orange has the most citric acid (C6H8O7) in it. This will be determined by collecting the juice of each fruit and then titrating the juice with NaOH. By determining the amount of NaOH that is needed to reach the endpoint in the tiration, it will be possible to determine which fruit has the most citric acid in it. This acid-base titration will work because the NaOH that will be added to the juice will react with the citric acid in the fruit juice and once enough NaOH has been added, the moles of NaOH will equal the moles of citric acid. The reaction that will govern the process is; C6H8O7 + NaOH -> C6H7O7 + H20 + Na+. This reaction will create a change in pH that can be detected using an indicator such as phenolphthalein. The juice that requires the most NaOH to reach an endpoint, which will occur when the solution turns pink, contains the most citric acid. Materials & Methods- In order to complete the
An investigation of the factors which affect the reaction of acid rain on limestone.
An investigation of the factors which affect the reaction of acid rain on limestone Aim: To investigate the factors which affect the reaction of acid rain on limestone. Background Knowledge / Scientific Knowledge: * Acid reacts with limestone to produce Carbon dioxide. (CO2 is the product of the reaction). * Temperature:- As more heat is given to the molecules of the reactants, they gain kinetic energy, and move more quickly, and violently. * Acid rain causes the erosion or weathering of limestone. * Equation for Hydrochloric acid is: HCl * Equation for Limestone is: Ca CO3 * The reaction between limestone and acid rain is exothermic - it gives out heat. * Limestone is a calcium carbonate, and it is alkali. * Greater surface area = quicker reaction, because there are more surfaces for the other reactant to work on. The Collision Theory: A reaction occurs when the molecules of two or more reactants collide into one another. Then the reaction takes place. After the collision and subsequent reaction has taken place, 'products' are produced. In the case of this experiment carbon dioxide is the product of the reaction between limestone and acid rain - basically hydrochloric acid and water. The equation for this reaction is 2HCl + CaCO3 -> CO2 + CaCl2 + H2O Prediction . I predict that if the temperature goes up by 20°C then the rate of reaction will go up by
