Chemistry

Separation Lab __Chemistry, Technical Reading and Writing__

This project was a lab about mixtures and how to separate them. We had to separate a mix of salt, iron, sand, and poppy seeds using any lab materials and all previous knowledge. The purpose of the project was to learn about different physical properties that a substance can have. This helped us to separate the mixture. It was important to do this because it helped me to learn more about physical properties and how to write better lab procedures.

For this project, we needed to include lab procedures, list of materials, data table, and the results and discussion questions. The lab procedures were a requirement because we needed to know what to do. The list of materials was necessary in order to know what we needed. The data table was essential so we could remember what happened. Finally, the results and discussion questions were there so we could interpret our results.

The best thing that I learned was how to quickly remove water using a torch and evaporating dish. I'm glad I learned this because it is 1,000 times faster than using a hot plate and beaker. This greatly improved the time it took to complete the lab. Without this, the lab may not have been finished in time. The biggest struggle with the lab was separating the poppy seeds. At first, we believed that poppy seeds could float. However, we struggled to skim them from the surface, as not all of the poppy seeds were floating. This can be expected with many separations, because it is very difficult to get it perfect.

In order to complete the lab, multiple drafts of the lab procedures were done in Technical Reading and Writing. The final draft of the lab procedures was taped into the lab notebook. After that, the lab was completed according to the lab procedures. However, multiple revisions were necessary while completing the lab. For example, we found that the burner and evaporating dish would work much more efficiently than the hot plate and beaker, so a revision was made.

__Quality- Collaboration__ A lab is done between two people. Therefore, collaboration should always be used. I had to collaborate with Nat, my lab partner, to get things done quickly and easily. For example, I was watching the evaporating dish on the burner (Nat is terrified of flames) while Nat was sending things to the oven to dry them completely. I would say that a definition of collaboration would be, "Working with one or more persons to get an otherwise complicated task completed in a way that is easiest for the group."