What I learned in General Chemistry II Lab

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Assalamu Alaikum,

This warranted its own post just because I felt like I took two different classes with lab and lecture (probably because I had a different professor for lab than for lecture). Looking back at it, this semester in lab was in some ways even more messed up than last semester although last semester I broke more things.

Gen Chem Lab Part II: Revenge of the Volumetric Flasks

—Apparently wearing a head scarf can be a safety hazard. Actually, I am the safety hazard.

—I believe when synthesizing alum crystals not to use steroids. I believe in 100% organic alum crystals!

(In this lab, my professor put extra crystals in people’s beakers to get the alum to crystallize, but I waited an hour for mine in an ice bath beaker because I believed in them!)

—My scarf and I learned something about each other—my sanity in lab is directly correlated with the state of my head scarf so I always have to fix it before lab.

*Chemistry Education* Lab Notes: Day 2

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Assalamu Alaikum!

This week’s episode involved 4th and 5th graders comparing chemical reactions of known white powders to that of unknown white powder and to figure out the identity of the unknown powder. With that said, I immediately noticed two things: types of questions students had and how they were trying to logically connect patterns between the different types of reactions. So here are my scratched up notes!

Types of questions students actually asked me:

• How will chemical reactions change at different temperatures?
  • Ex: How will the white powder react to the pink stuff outside in the cold?

Faith786′s Notes: Lessons from General Chemistry I Lab

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Assalamu Alaikum!

The grand list of things Faith786 learned in general chemistry lab first semester (both theoretical and practical lessons for other hopelessly clumsy and chemistry ignorant people like myself):

—”Sig figs must be obeyed.”

—Wear your goggles. (Note the order of the first two points)

—You never *dump* a group 1 metal in water. Something will shoot back at you. (Group 2 also reacts with water, but not as nutty as group 1)

—You should not cook food in Aluminum or Calcium cookware.

—Most group 2 metals are quick to react to air/oxidize.