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    Tubular Rust Directions

    Uploaded by

    Erwin
    The document describes an experiment to determine the percentage of oxygen in air. Students measure the level of water in an inverted test tube over time as steel wool placed in the tube rusts in the air. As oxygen is consumed in the rusting reaction, the volume of air decreases, causing the water level to rise. By tracking the water level change, students can calculate the percentage of air that was originally oxygen. The experiment involves loosely packing steel wool in a test tube, inverting it in a water-filled beaker, and recording the water level height at regular intervals as it rises due to oxygen depletion through rusting.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Tubular Rust Directions

    Uploaded by

    Erwin
    71 views2 pages
    The document describes an experiment to determine the percentage of oxygen in air. Students measure the level of water in an inverted test tube over time as steel wool placed in the tube rusts in the air. As oxygen is consumed in the rusting reaction, the volume of air decreases, causing the water level to rise. By tracking the water level change, students can calculate the percentage of air that was originally oxygen. The experiment involves loosely packing steel wool in a test tube, inverting it in a water-filled beaker, and recording the water level height at regular intervals as it rises due to oxygen depletion through rusting.

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    The document describes an experiment to determine the percentage of oxygen in air. Students measure the level of water in an inverted test tube over time as steel wool placed in the tube rusts in the air. As oxygen is consumed in the rusting reaction, the volume of air decreases, causing the water level to rise. By tracking the water level change, students can calculate the percentage of air that was originally oxygen. The experiment involves loosely packing steel wool in a test tube, inverting it in a water-filled beaker, and recording the water level height at regular intervals as it rises due to oxygen depletion through rusting.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    71 views2 pages

    Tubular Rust Directions

    Uploaded by

    Erwin
    The document describes an experiment to determine the percentage of oxygen in air. Students measure the level of water in an inverted test tube over time as steel wool placed in the tube rusts in the air. As oxygen is consumed in the rusting reaction, the volume of air decreases, causing the water level to rise. By tracking the water level change, students can calculate the percentage of air that was originally oxygen. The experiment involves loosely packing steel wool in a test tube, inverting it in a water-filled beaker, and recording the water level height at regular intervals as it rises due to oxygen depletion through rusting.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    8th Grade Science Name: Date:

    Totally Tubular Rust


    What percentage of the air you breathe do you think is oxygen?

    In this experiment, you will determine the fraction of air that is made up of oxygen (“the % oxygen in air”). We will take
    advantage of the fact that steel rusts in air as it reacts with the oxygen in the air. Steel is mostly (99%) iron, and the as
    the oxygen and iron react, we will form iron oxide. As the oxygen is removed from the air, the volume of air will change.
    From this change you can figure out what percentage of the air was made up of oxygen.

    Procedure:

    1. Create a data table with two columns – “time in minutes” and “height of water in mm.”

    2. Attach a small centimeter ruler to the test tube using a rubber band. Make sure the 0mm mark is toward the open
    end of the test tube.

    3. Measure about 1 gram of steel wool. Record the exact mass of the steel wool you use. Pull it apart to increase its
    surface area. To promote rusting, dip the wool into some vinegar. Shake off the excess vinegar into the sink.

    4. Push the steel wool halfway up the test tube using a pencil. Make sure you keep the wool packed very loosely.

    5. Fill a beaker of water about 1/2 way with water.

    6. Turn the test tube so it is upside down, and clamp the test tube to a ring stand. Adjust the height of
    the test tube so it is in the water, and so the water level inside the test tube is lower than the water level in the
    beaker.

    7. Adjust the ruler so it is even with the water level inside the test tube.

    Inverted test tube Ring Stand

    Steel wool, loosely packed

    Water level
    Ruler inside test
    tube

    Beaker 1/2 filled with water


    8th Grade Science Name: Date:

    8. Observe what happens to the level of the water in the test tube as the steel wool rusts. Record your results in your
    lab notebook.

    9. In your data table, record where the water level is along the ruler in the test tube, not the beaker, every 5 minutes.

    10. As the level changes, keep adjusting the height of the test tube so that the water level inside the test tube remains
    below the water level in the beaker. Be sure not to change the position of the ruler!

    11. Once the water level has not changed for at least 10 minutes, you may stop collecting data.

    12. Discuss with your group a method of calculating the fraction of air that is composed of oxygen. Write down your
    method and calculate the % of oxygen in the air.

    13. Please answer the following questions (on a separate sheet of paper!):

    a. What changes did you observe take place? (List at least 3) For each change you observed, indicate
    whether this was a chemical or physical change.
    b. Why does the level of water in the test tube change?
    c. What method did you use to calculate the % oxygen in air? Show your calculation(s) for the
    % oxygen in air and how that number compares to your hypothesis.
    d. Do you think it would take a shorter or longer time for this experiment to run if it was packed tightly?
    Explain.
    e. What questions do you have after doing this experiment that you would like to explore?

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