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ACTIVITY in Mole Concept, Dimensional Analysis, Measurements, Kitchen Chemistry. Last updated March 25, 2020.
Summary
In this lab, students take an abstract concept, the mole, and turn it into a real measurable concept by measuring quantities of household materials in quantities related to the mole.
Grade Level
High school
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to
- Understand the mole concept.
Chemistry Topics
This lesson supports students’ understanding of
- Mole concept
- Dimensional analysis
Time
Teacher Preparation: 30 minutes
Lesson: 45 minutes
Materials
- Aluminum foil
- Salt
- Copper
- Water
- Chalk
Safety
- Always wear goggles when working in a chemistry lab.
- Students should wash their hands thoroughly before leaving the lab.
- When students complete the lab, instruct them how to clean up their materials.
Teacher Notes
- The students have to calculate the mass of each material using the mole concept, mass the material, and them bring it to the instructor for them to mass and check their answer.
- I have done this lab for the past 10 years and the students always seem to understand the mole unit better. It improves their learning.
For the Student
Lesson
| Station | Material | Calculation | Teacher Initial |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | One mole of aluminum | ||
| 2 | 0.250 moles of NaCl | ||
| 3 | 5.6 x 1023 atoms of copper | ||
| 4 | 3.45 moles of water | ||
| 5 | 9.0 x 1022 molecules of chalk, CaCO3 | ||
| 6 | 8.9 x 1023 atoms of hydrogen in water |