Here are the Question(s) of the Week for the school year, 2007-2008. You have a week to find the answer(s). Questions will be posted the weekend before the week of their date and the answers are due by midnight on the following Friday. Don't just copy and paste the answers from a CD encyclopedia, or from the internet without actually reading what you find. Some questions should be answered in your own words, whereas sometimes the answer might be a table with data or an image that you can use as is. You must always provide an appropriately formatted reference. Remember, it is the CHEMISTRY that is involved that is primarily of interest.

Set up your document with standard 1-inch margins and put a header that includes Questions of the Week, your name, and the date of the questions (as shown on the website, NOT the date they are due). Include each question, with the answers inserted after each. Save each file as follows:  your initials-QOTW-mm-dd-yy. Example:  BAT-QOTW-9-12-07 and email the file to mizsibert@siberts.net. Anyone using a wordprocessor other than Word, should save all files as Rich Text Format (.rtf).

Sept:  10 | 17 | 24 | Oct:  1 | 8 | 15 | 22 | 29 | Nov.:  5 | 26 | Feb:  4 | 11 | 18 | Mar:  3 | 31

September 10, 2007

There are two questions for this first week. The second one is to introduce you to one of the lesser known elements, which may actually be more important than you realize.
  1. Approximately, how many gold atoms could lie side-by-side along the length of a $1 bill?

  2. Go to the WebElements Periodic Table website. Select one (1) element from among the lesser known transition or rare earth elements (stop at element 92). Tell about this element, giving a description of it, the history behind it (e.g. discoverer, when, etc.), how it is obtained in the pure form, compounds of it, its uses, some if its physical, electronic, and nuclear data, its uses, if any, in biological systems, and where it is found on the earth. See if you can find a picture on another website of something that contains this element. You can put this information into a table or write it as a narrative.

September 17, 2007

There is just one question this week and it deals with the language of chemistry and the derivation of some of the common terms (or names of some elements) used in chemistry. You are to look up the origins and meanings of the following terms: (put the URL(s) for each term immediately after the answer)
  1. water
  2. ammonia
  3. sodium - soda
  4. lead
  5. gold
  6. atom
  7. molecule
  8. ion
  9. cyanide
  10. thio
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September 24, 2007

The questions this week are related to our review of the atomic structure of atoms in the Triptik for Chapter 2.
  1. Find out what each of the following people discovered related to the structure of atoms and then put them in order of when they made this discovery.
    Rutherford, Thomson, Milikan, Goldstein, Geiger, and Marsden.

  2. There are three isotopes of hydrogen, each with its own name. Find the following information about each one:  their names, mass numbers, abundances on earth, how they are separated from each other, and at least two uses of each.

Image Courtesy of Windows to the Universe, http://www.windows.ucar.edu"

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October 1, 2007

The QOTW assignment for this week has to do with National Chemistry Week which will be celebrated October 21 - 27, 2007.
The Theme this year for NCW is "The Many Faces of Chemistry" . The assignment is to make either two 8" x 11.5" flyers or one "half-sized" poster advertising NCW. They need to be turned in by Monday, October 8, so they can be put up around the school that afternoon.

The posters can be done freehand or with the aid of a computer. The main criteria is that the poster needs to reflect the theme of NCW for this year. Be sure you put your name on the back side of the poster/flyers.

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October 8, 2007

Nobel Prize Medal The 2007 Nobel Prize winner(s) in chemistry will be announced on October 11, 2007. The questions this week, therefore, have to do with Nobel Prizes in Chemistry.
  1. Who is/are the winner(s) of this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry? Where is/are the winner(s) from and what did the winner(s) do that led to this honor?

  2. Who were the first four chemists to win Nobel Prizes in chemistry and in what years did they get their awards? Briefly, what did they do?

  3. How many Americans have been awarded Nobel Prizes in Chemistry? Who are they and in what year did they receive their prize? (The list can include scientists from other countries who came to the United States and did their work here.)
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October 15, 2007

Tuesday, October 23 is National Mole Day. In honor of that day, the questions for this week are all "mole problems". This week only, you will turn in the problems when you come to class on Mole Day. Remember to set up the problems with all units, etc. as is required for regular homework. We will have a party during each class for a celebration of Mole Day.

  1. Count the number of popped kernals in a bag of microwavable popcorn, then calculate the number of bags of popcorn you would have to pop to get one mole of popped popcorn. Bring two bags of microwavable popcorn for the party.

  2. What volume of Classic Coke, in liters, would you need to buy to get one mole of sugar? Bring a two-liter bottle of soft drink.

  3. If you placed one mole of Skittles side-by-side in a chain-like arrangement, what would be the length of the chain? Bring a bag of Skittles or M&Ms.

  4. A cake is baked that will serve 48 people. What part of a mole does this represent? Bring a cake or some cup cakes for the class.

  5. Assuming that all of the mass of a bag of potato chips is due to the potatoes themselves, calculate how many moles of potatoes are used to produce one million bags of chips. Indicate the brand and style of chips on which you are basing your calculations. Bring some chips and dip to the party.

  6. Bring in a mole joke, either one you make up yourself or one you find on the Internet. Be sure to put the URL for where you find it if you use a web source.

October 22, 2007

Making Steel This week's questions go along with next week's lab experiment, Winning A Metal From Its Ore, and are about the refining of metals. We will focus primarily on the refining of iron and the making of steel since it is one of the most important processes of an industrialized society.
  1. What is the primary iron ore called, and what is its chemical makeup? Where are the main deposits of this ore found in the US and in the world?

  2. How is iron, and then steel, produced from iron ore in most of the steel mills in the United States? Give details, and then draw or find a flow chart that shows the whole process in a simpler manner.

  3. What is stainless steel and how is its properties influenced by the "other" metals present? What are some kinds of stainless steel and what are their uses?

  4. How does a plant such as Steel Dynamics (formerly Roanoke Electric Steel) produce steel? What is/are the main difference(s) between this process and that used in the more traditional steel mill?

October 29, 2007

This week's questions deal with the seven acids for which you are expected to know their names and formulas. Some of these acids are among the top 10 chemicals produced annually in the United States. Find out the following information about each acid:  include name and formula)
  1. How the acid is produced commerically
  2. A chemical description of the acid..properties and reactions.
  3. At least three main uses
  4. Specific hazards associated with each acid
  5. The amount in dollars and/or quantity of each acid, and ranking among chemicals produced if you can find it.
The acids are:  hydrochloric, nitric, acetic, perchloric, carbonic, sulfuric, and phosphoric. 		Muriatic Acid
www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/infmur.shtm
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November 5, 2007

Source of image:  William Jensen, University of Cincinnati

The questions for this week have to do with the periodic table.
  1. There are several other early scientists in addition to Mendeleev and Moseley who arranged the elements in various ways. They are Johann Dobereiner, Beguyer de Chancourtois, John Newlands, and Lothar Meyer. Sir William Ramsey also did important work that affected the periodic table. Briefly describe what each man did related to the periodic table and when they did it. Put them in chronological order.

  2. The following elements are all needed in varying amounts by the human body. Where are these elements found in the body and what are their functions? What are two (2) good dietary sources of these elements?

      Calcium, chlorine, cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc
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November 26, 2007

This week's questions are about some of the relationships among elements that one can find on the periodic table. You will be graphing three different properties versus the atomic number for the first 25 elements on the periodic table. The graphs should be done in LoggerPro or some similar graphing program. Be sure you label each axis and put a title for each graph. Plot regular line graphs for each question. Print off the graphs and bring to class on Monday, Dec. 3. Make each on about a half page in size so that you can get two to a page.

  1. Take the first 25 elements and plot the "highest oxidation number" for each versus the atomic number of each.

  2. Plot a graph of the ionization energy for these same 25 elements versus their atomic numbers.

  3. Plot a graph of the melting point of each of these elements versus their atomic numbers.

  4. Now combine the first two graphs into one graph. LoggerPro allows you to have two different y-axes. If you need help doing this you can ask me, or try the Help feature in LoggerPro. Most other graphing programs will do this, too. Discuss similarities and differences in the appearances of the two lines. What can you say about the relationship between the highest oxidation number and the ionization energy for these elements. Is there any apparent correlation between the two properties or not?
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February 4, 2008

This week's questions are about the commercial cold and hot packs and hand warmers.
  1. How does a cold pack work? Give the chemical equation and the value of ΔH for the reaction.

  2. What is the basis for the heat generated for a hot pack? Why is is reusable? How can this be? Include the chemical equation and value of ΔH for the reaction.

  3. Another hot pack often sold as a "hand warmer" uses a different reaction than the resuable hot pack. What is the equation and value of ΔH?
Cold Pack
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February 11, 2008


This week's questions have to do with our current study of enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs "free" energy.
refrigeration

Source: thermo.sdsu.edu/vt/Refrigeration/refrigeration.gif
  1. The birthday anniversary of Josiah Gibbs is February 11. What did he do that was so important to the area of thermochemistry and thermodynamics?

  2. How does a refrigerator or air-conditioner actually work?

  3. How does a heat pump work? Compare it to an air-conditioner.
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February 18, 2008

This weeks questions are about the late Dr. Linus Pauling, who was born February 25, 1901. Pauling's Electronegativities are probably the most often values used to help determine the polarity of chemical bonds. Since you learned in Experiment 9 that it can also be used to predict whether replacement reactions are likely to occur or not, it should be interesting to find out about this most interesting person.

  1. For what was Linus Pauling cited as having done that earned him the high honor of being awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry? What influence did this work have on later developments in chemistry?

  2. Pauling is the only scientist to have been awarded a Nobel Prize in a scientific discipline and the Peace Prize. Specifically, what did he do that warranted his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?

  3. Pauling was in his 90's when he died. What are some of the other interesting stories that you can find that show what a unique individual he was?
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March 3, 2008

This weeks questions are about light.
  1. The speed of light has been measured using several unique methods over the years. What were the basics for each of these methods and who are the scientists associated with each? What is the current accepted speed of "light"?

  2. Why does the sky look blue during the daytime?

  3. What is the difference between sodium vapor lamps and mercury vapor lamps? Why do colors look "different" when you are standing under one of these kinds of lamps?

  4. How do we see colors?

Picture taken by Lauren Sharpley and used with her permission.
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March 31, 2008

Gasoline prices are in the news daily as the cost at the pump fluctuates markedly from place to place. The questions this week, therefore, have to do with petroleum and the refining of petroleum for making gasoline.
  1. What is meant by "unbranched" and "branched" hydrocarbons?

  2. Make a table containing the first ten straight-chain alkanes, their molar masses and their boiling points. Graph the boiling points vs the molar masses. What kind of relationship, if any, do you see between the increase in molar mass and the resulting boiling point?

  3. Consider C4H10 and C5H12 alkanes. What is the effect of branching on the boiling points of these two groups of alkanes? (Try to check for all isomers.)

  4. What is meant by "octane rating" for gasoline? How is it determined? Can a compound have an octane rating higher than 100? Lower than 0? If your answer to either is no, explain why not. If your answer to either is yes, explain their significance.

  5. Find a schematic diagram showing the fractional distillation of crude oil and describe how it works.
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You may email me if you need some help finding sources.
gsibert@rvgs.k12.va.us 		  Back to AP Chemistry Menu