INVESTIGATING GAS LAW RELATIONSHIPS

Objective: To apply gas law principles to real situations.

Background: Complete the 3 mini labs (marshmallow in a syringe, balloon in a flask, and soda can lab) using
the procedures below. I have also included a 4th mini lab for you to analyze, Bubble wrap. I am assuming you
have popped a bubble from bubble wrap before at some point in your life. If you haven’t, you can google a
video on it. When you are finished making your observations, answer the questions below.

Procedure:
I. Soda Can Investigation
1. Fill the soda can with a small amount of water.
2. With your tongs, hold the can over the Bunsen burner flame until you can see steam coming out
of the can.
3. Invert the can in a cold water bath. (Tote tray ½ ways filled). Record what happens.
4. Repeat the procedure again with a can ½ filled with water. Record your observations.

Observations:

With the small amount of water a small explosion that collapsed in the can happened this led to the can
being crushed once it touched the cold water.
When half a can was filled the can absorbed more water when it touched the cold water making the can
heavier and having more water in the can then once you started.

Questions:

Why did the soda can collapse? The drastic change in temperature in the can with the small
Explain in terms of pressure, volume or boiling water compared to the colder water caused the
volume, and temperature. can to superheat and burst

Which gas law relationships are Charles Law, it involves two separate temperatures and volumes
illustrated in this activity? V1/T1=V2/T2
Explain.

II. Balloon in a Flask

1. Place a small amount of water in a 500mL flask.
2. Blow a small amount of air into a balloon and tie the end. Fill the tote tray ½ ways with cold
water.
3. Heat the flask over the Bunsen burner, using the triangle stands and wire gauze, until the water
comes to a rapid boil.
4. Carefully remove the flask using a glove, and immediately place the balloon over the mouth of
the flask.
5. Place the flask in the cold water while continuing to hold the balloon on the mouth of the flask
until the balloon starts to get sucked into the flask.
6. Record your observations.

Observations:
 The boiling water cooled in the tub of cold water sucking in the balloon causing it to pop.

Questions:

Why was the balloon sucked into There is a pressure seal keeping the balloon in, the temperature
the flask? Explain in terms of change keeping the pressure stronger sucking it down. The
pressure, volume, and volume of water creating a vacuum seal.
temperature.

Which gas law relationships are Combined gas law as the formula takes into account the
illustrated in this activity? recorded temperatures creating the respective seals, the
Explain. temperature of the water, as well as the volume of the water.

III. Marshmallow in a syringe

1. Remove the plunger from your syringe and put a marshmallow inside.
2. Re-insert the plunger and set it to a volume of ~10 mL. There should be very little space left in the
syringe, but the marshmallow should not be squished at all.
3. Plug the open end of the syringe with one finger and pull the plunger down with the opposite hand.
Watch the marshmallow and record your observations.
4. Remove your finger from the end of the syringe to unplug it. Record your observations of the
marshmallow. You may wish to repeat this procedure a few times to see the change well.

Observations:

The marshmallow would get smaller when you would push the plunger down and larger the more you
allowed for more space.

Questions:

Explain what happens to the The marshmallow begins to inflate when pulling away from it,
marshmallow, both when you pull becoming larger enough to fill the width of the tube, while
on the plunger and when you shrinking when pressed towards it becoming half its size.
unplug the end.

Which gas law relationship(s) is Boyle's Law as both the two respective volumes before and
illustrated by the marshmallow after the experimentation, as well as the respective
demonstration? temperatures thereafter are recorded. Due to temperature and
volume having an inversely proportional relationship.

IV. Bubble Wrap

Questions:
 What is the main use of bubble Bubble wrap is used to pad other objects. The properties that
wrap? What properties of help is that they expand to fit their container and they occupy
gasses help the bubble wrap do all that space.
its job?

What other substances are Oobleck—a type of liquid until a force is exerted onto it which
engineered in a similar way to causes it to become solid.
shock absorbers?

CER: In the space below, complete the CER summary (using evidence from THIS lab) answering the
following question: Do all 4 of the mini labs completed in this lab support Charles’ Law?

Claim: Not all four labs performed supported Charles’ Law which states the volume of a given mass of
gas varies directly with the absolute temperature of the gas when pressure is kept constant.

Evidence: Evidence is taken from the experiments trailed in the labs. In experiment one, the boiling
water creates an expanse of gas when coming in contact with cold water. When half full the can creates
water from the cold water as the gas liquidates. In experiment two, the flask was heated then placed in
cool water with a balloon on the top of it. The balloon begins to expand until it then pops from the
pressure. In experiment three, a marshmallow expands and compresses due to the change of force of
the plunger, not due to a change in temperature. In experiment four, when a lot of pressure is placed
upon the bubble wrap its smaller balloons begin to pop without there being a change in the
surrounding temperature.

Reasoning: Experiments one and two had immense changes in their temperatures. During these
changes in temperature, both experiments had a change in volume of the gas as the temperature
removed the ability for them to maintain their respective volumes and tried to decrease their volumes
during which their pressures increased as an effect.. This leads to the balloon exploding and/or
imploding. The other two experiments have no influences on their respective temperatures, only
pressure changes. Thus, this experimentation proves that this is a result of an implosion or explosion of
an object. This directly conflicts with Charles law which requires temperature in its formula.