INQUIRY ACTIVITYBy Devin, Natasha and Zach

NOTE!! If the videos do not play in the slideshow,

you can open them directly from in the “Inquiry” folder. The names classify what videos they are. We tried them in the slideshow, and unfortunately they did not play for us. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Again, videos ARE included in the folder this slideshow is in.

Which two metals? For our inquiry, we decided to compare

the two elements calcium and iron to come up with as many different ways as possible to prove that they are formed of different particles.

An iron nail which we used for testing.

Natasha, using steel wool to clean a small piece of calcium.

How we approached the inquiry After doing some brainstorming, we came up with a few

ideas of coming up with conclusive evidence on how to prove that iron and calcium are formed of different particles.

-we did some research on the substances’ physical properties (density, melting and boiling points, etc.) and examined some physical properties in class (colour, hardness, etc.)

-we wanted to see which metal would react with a magnet more strongly, although unfortunately did not have enough time

-we did a quick test on the conductivity of electricity for each metal

-we tested each metal with an acid, a base, and a neutral substance

Procedure 1. Make observations of the metals’ physical properties. Record observations.

Record the colours Take a small knife and slowly cut each metal, observing the hardness of

each metal Visually observe the lustre of each metal, after cleaning gently with steel

wool. 2. Using a graduated cylinder, measure and pour 20mL of water into a beaker.

Using tweezers, place an iron nail inside beaker and observe results. Repeat with calcium.

3. Using a graduated cylinder, measure and pour 20mL of hydrochloric acid into a beaker. Using tweezers, place an iron nail inside beaker an observe results. Repeat with calcium.

4. Using a graduated cylinder, measure and pour 20mL of sodium hydroxide into a beaker. Using tweezers, place an iron nail inside beaker an observe results. Repeat with calcium.

5. Using a voltage meter, a battery, wires and the metals, create a simple circuit with the metals as a wire and observe the voltage on the meter.

6. Clear away metals and work area. Put all equipment away and wash hands.

Physical PropertiesIRON Electron configuration: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2 3d6 Melting Point: 1535 °C Boiling Point: 2750 °C Density: 7.874 g/cc Colour: Dark Grey Lustre: Not very shiny, dark Hardness: Very hard, we couldn’t cut it with a knife

CALCIUM Electron configuration: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2 Melting Point: 839 °C Boiling Point: 1484 °C Density: 1.55 g/cc Colour: Light Grey/Silver Lustre: Somewhat shiny Hardness: Slightly hard, able to make a groove with knife

Reactions with water, the neutral substance (H2O)

(click to start)

Iron Calcium

Reactions with hydrochloric acid, the acidic substance (HCl)

(click to start)

Iron Calcium

Reactions with sodium hydroxide, the basic substance (NaOH)

(click to start)

Iron Calcium

Observations of the reactions

Iron with H2O, HCl and NaOH – Iron did not show any visible sign of reaction with any of these substances.

Calcium with H2O – The calcium began to release gas, creating a few bubbles. The water went from being transparent to translucent when the reaction finished. Condensation in the beaker formed. The reaction was the least violent of calcium’s reactions.

Calcium with HCl –The calcium began to release gas, creating bubbles and fizz. Heat was given off, and condensation formed inside the beaker. The reaction was more violent than with water but less so than with NaOH.

Calcium with NaOH – The calcium began to release a few bubbles, similar to it’s reaction with water. The NaOH turned opaque and condensation formed in the beaker. About fifteen seconds into the reaction, a large amount of visible, white gas was released and escaped the beaker. Condensation formed in the beaker.

Conductivity of the metals As explained before, we made a simple electrical

circuit using a voltage meter, a battery, the metals and some wire to test the conductivity of the two metals. However, while the circuit with iron worked well, we believe that the piece of calcium may have been too small to work with very well, and the circuit was broken.

We got a reading of 1.483 when using the iron nail, but when we used the piece of calcium our reading was approximately 0.030. Upon further, research, however, we found that calcium should conduct electricity better than iron, leading us to believe we obtained flawed results.

Reflection We already knew before we performed our experiments that

the iron would not react with any of the substances. We knew that iron was very unreactive and the results of our experiment proves this.

The calcium reacted with all three of our solutions- acidic, neutral and basic. Calcium as an element loses electrons to become a positive ion, and because it is an alkaline earth metal it is very reactive, even reacting to oxygen in the air. Both the reactions with HCl and NaOH created violent reactions, releasing heat and gas. We believe that in the case with H2O and NaOH, the calcium was reacting primarily with the oxygen, while with HCl it was reacting with the chlorine and releasing hydrogen gas.

Upon further research, we found that calcium should conduct electricity more efficiently than iron, although our experiment failed to prove this due to aforementioned reasons.

Conclusion After doing research, observing the metals and performing

experiments, we have come up with conclusive proof that iron and calcium are comprised of different subatomic particles. We have researched and observed for ourselves the different physical properties of both, as well as performed several experiments to compare the two.

The two metals have very different physical properties. Iron has a much higher density and higher melting and boiling point that calcium. It is less shiny and darker in colour, as well. We also found that iron was harder to cut than calcium.

Calcium has a higher ability to conduct electricity than iron, contrary to what our flawed experiment showed us.

Iron is extremely unreactive, not showing any visible signs of a chemical reaction with H2O, NaOH or HCl. Calcium, on the other hand, reacted with all three violently, forming new compounds.

Through our results and the experiments we performed, we believe we have come up with conclusive evidence that the metals calcium and iron are comprised of different subatomic particles.