doge wrote:On that note, I was wondering what kind of questions you guys are expecting for the greenhouse gas and climate change aspect of the test? The rules are sort of broad and it seems like it may be the part of the test that separates the top teams besides speed/length of test (and lab), addressing complaints from previous years of Chem Lab being too easy overall.
So far, what I've seen is just some normal gas law questions that just so happen to be about ozone. I believe I also saw said question before on an AP Chem test.
The other test I took just didn't have anything about greenhouse gases on it.
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So for the calculators, can we bring a ti-89? It never specified on the rules about not being able to bring a graphing calculator, just a non-camera capable one.
And for the clothing, will we have to wear like turtlenecks and stuff to cover up our neck or are they more lenient on that?
Eureka314 wrote:So for the calculators, can we bring a ti-89? It never specified on the rules about not being able to bring a graphing calculator, just a non-camera capable one.
And for the clothing, will we have to wear like turtlenecks and stuff to cover up our neck or are they more lenient on that?
Yes to the calculator. We always bring in TI-84s, and I've never seen anybody get in trouble with that.
No to the clothing though, unless the competition specifically says that you must wear something to cover your neck, which I've (personally) never seen or heard of.
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The regional test I took had nothing on greenhouse gases. I guess one of the tests could have a question on the Porter Ranch methane leak.
Greenhouse gases work because of IR absorption, but that concept would be beyond the scope of Chem Lab. If it does come up... Basically, atmospheric gases absorb thermal/radioactive energy, causing the bonds between atoms to stretch/bend like a spring. The stretching/bending can happen only with polar covalent bonds.
[quote="doge"]Not sure I understand your first question, but generally, a lab will probably test for knowledge of some specific laws that will be necessary in calculations, but I think the point of the lab is not to test for this type of material (although you should definitely still know the laws..), but rather to see which teams can most accurately carry out (and know) lab procedures and/or follow directions. Section 4.b. of the rules states some possible lab topics, but they probably will not be limited to that.
Hi, I've never done Chem Lab before. Can someone please give a general overview of the event? I'm a little confused if we are provided with specific instructions for the lab or if we are required to come up with our own lab procedure on the spot. Thanks!
From my experience, the three competitions this year have had very different tests and labs:
Cypress Falls invitational, Texas: The lab was reacting an unknown amount of sodium bicarbonate and collecting the gas over water, then using that and stoichiometry to determine the amount of bicarbonate. The test was moderately difficult but what I would call AP level with a few harder questions
MIT invitational, Massachusetts: The lab was very basic (sorry for bad chem puns). It consisted of reacting different amounts of food coloring with bleach and determining the rate. Surprisingly hard. The test was upper level kinetics and gas laws, covering everything including application based questions such as uranium enrichment. It covered kinetics and gas laws extensively, including two step reactions, pseudo order reactions, stuff involving solar fusion, and other stuff like that. Was expected because MIT level chemistry.
Regionals, FAU, Florida: Two labs, the iodine clock reaction with sodium thiosulfate and hydrogen peroxide to demonstrate kinetics including calculating molarity of solutions to determine the order of the reaction. I had a problem with this because the rules explicitly say we won't be asked to determine rate laws experimentally at regionals, but I was familiar with the lab and we took third in the event. The second lab was reacting magnesium ribbon with hydrochloric acid to collect hydrogen gas and determining the moles of gas produced. We were given a very nice setup with analytical balances out to the thousandth of a gram and Vernier data collection devices to measure temperature and pressure for this bit of the lab. We didn't have a test, just these two labs. The setup was really nice because it was conducted in a university laboratory.
In terms of calculators, we use the TI Nspire CX CAS calculators for this event because they can store information on them, and they are legal. We haven't had a problem with any supervisors so far
In terms of what to wear, any exposed skin is grounds for disqualification. Long pants and sleeves, closed toed shoes, EYE PROTECTION, and chemical smocks or lab coats.
If anybody is interested, I can publish detailed instructions on how to do the iodine clock lab.
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Were you guys able to fill up all five sheets front and back? We were only able to fill three; should we have like definitions on there?
Also, will the lab and test be timed separately? Like will they give you a certain amount of time to do the test, and then give you a certain amount of time to do the lab?
Eureka314 wrote:Were you guys able to fill up all five sheets front and back? We were only able to fill three; should we have like definitions on there?
Also, will the lab and test be timed separately? Like will they give you a certain amount of time to do the test, and then give you a certain amount of time to do the lab?
We weren't able to fill up all five pages, to be honest. You could put definitions on there, if you'd like. Perhaps an AP Chem Equation sheet?
As for your second question, that's up to the event supervisor. It really depends on the length of experiment you are requested to do and/or if you're told to do an experiment at all. I haven't even been asked to do an experiment yet.
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dfaris wrote:From my experience, the three competitions this year have had very different tests and labs:
Cypress Falls invitational, Texas: The lab was reacting an unknown amount of sodium bicarbonate and collecting the gas over water, then using that and stoichiometry to determine the amount of bicarbonate. The test was moderately difficult but what I would call AP level with a few harder questions
MIT invitational, Massachusetts: The lab was very basic (sorry for bad chem puns). It consisted of reacting different amounts of food coloring with bleach and determining the rate. Surprisingly hard. The test was upper level kinetics and gas laws, covering everything including application based questions such as uranium enrichment. It covered kinetics and gas laws extensively, including two step reactions, pseudo order reactions, stuff involving solar fusion, and other stuff like that. Was expected because MIT level chemistry.
Regionals, FAU, Florida: Two labs, the iodine clock reaction with sodium thiosulfate and hydrogen peroxide to demonstrate kinetics including calculating molarity of solutions to determine the order of the reaction. I had a problem with this because the rules explicitly say we won't be asked to determine rate laws experimentally at regionals, but I was familiar with the lab and we took third in the event. The second lab was reacting magnesium ribbon with hydrochloric acid to collect hydrogen gas and determining the moles of gas produced. We were given a very nice setup with analytical balances out to the thousandth of a gram and Vernier data collection devices to measure temperature and pressure for this bit of the lab. We didn't have a test, just these two labs. The setup was really nice because it was conducted in a university laboratory.
In terms of calculators, we use the TI Nspire CX CAS calculators for this event because they can store information on them, and they are legal. We haven't had a problem with any supervisors so far
In terms of what to wear, any exposed skin is grounds for disqualification. Long pants and sleeves, closed toed shoes, EYE PROTECTION, and chemical smocks or lab coats.
If anybody is interested, I can publish detailed instructions on how to do the iodine clock lab.
Can you please publish the instructions for the iodine lab or any other labs you think would be useful to know?
