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Airbag Lab

The document outlines an experiment using the ideal gas law to predict the volume of carbon dioxide gas produced from a reaction between sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid, simulating an automobile airbag. It includes a detailed procedure for conducting the experiment, prelab questions, materials needed, and analysis questions to evaluate the results. The conclusion section prompts the experimenter to reflect on the success of the experiment and identify potential sources of error.

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hannah.sippel
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14 views2 pages

Airbag Lab

The document outlines an experiment using the ideal gas law to predict the volume of carbon dioxide gas produced from a reaction between sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid, simulating an automobile airbag. It includes a detailed procedure for conducting the experiment, prelab questions, materials needed, and analysis questions to evaluate the results. The conclusion section prompts the experimenter to reflect on the success of the experiment and identify potential sources of error.

Uploaded by

hannah.sippel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Airbag Lab

Introduction:
Kinetic Molecular Theory has four main principles:
o Gases consist of a large number of particles (atoms or molecules) in constant random motion.
o The volume of the particles is negligible compared to the volume they are contained in (large
separation between gas particles).
o Attractive and repulsive forces between the particles are negligible.
o The average kinetic energy of the particles is a constant, determined by the absolute
temperature.

Based on these simple assumptions, the ideal gas law is an incredibly useful when calculating the
properties of most gases. Mathematically, the ideal gas law is expressed by the equation

𝑃𝑉 = 𝑛𝑅𝑇, (Equation 1)

where P is the gas pressure (either expressed in units of atm or kPa), V is the volume (units in Liters), n is
the number of moles of the gas, R is the gas constant, and T is the Kelvin Temperature. Depending on
∗ ∗
the units of pressure used, the gas constant is either 0.08206 or 3.814 .
∗ ∗

In this experiment, the ideal gas law will be utilized to predict the volume of gas produced from a simple
chemical reaction. This reaction will be used to create a mock automobile airbag. Sodium bicarbonate,
NaHCO3, reacts with acetic acid, CH3COOH, to produce carbon dioxide gas and two other products that
can be seen in the reaction equation below

𝑁𝑎𝐻𝐶𝑂 ( ) + 𝐶𝐻 𝐶𝑂𝑂𝐻( ) → 𝐶𝐻 𝐶𝑂𝑂𝑁𝑎( ) + 𝐻 𝑂( ) + 𝐶𝑂 ( ).

Prelab Questions:
1. Assuming the bag is 1.0 L, you need to calculate the number of moles of CO2 released from the
reaction of sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid. To do this, we need to determine the other
properties of our gas in the classroom.
a. What is the pressure (in atm) in the classroom?
b. What is the temperature (in Kelvin) in the classroom?
∗
c. Knowing that the gas constant is 0.08206 , what is the number of moles of CO2 gas
∗
needed to fill the 1.0 L balloon?
2. Now we need to determine how much sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid solution to measure
in order to produce the number of moles of CO2 gas you just calculated.
a. How many moles of NaHCO3 are required?
b. What is the mass of that NaHCO3?
c. How many moles of CH3COOH are required?
d. You will use vinegar as your acetic acid source and the concentration of the acetic acid is
5% solution, what volume (in mL) is required?
Materials
 Ziploc bag(airbag)
 Graduated cylinder 1L
 Balance

Procedure:
1. Grab one “airbag.”
2. Measure the bag's volume by filling it with water and pouring it into a graduated
cylinder.
3. Calculate the number of moles of CO2 by rearranging the ideal gas law and solving for n.
4. Use the balanced chemical equation to calculate the amount (grams)of sodium
bicarbonate and acetic acid needed (you will need the molar mass of baking soda and
acetic acid)
5. Measure the volume of vinegar needed with the graduated cylinder. Pour the vinegar
into the bag first and seal the bag leaving just enough room to add the baking soda.
6. Weigh the calculated amount of baking soda on the analytical balance, wrap it in a piece
of tissue, and add it to the bag with vinegar.
7. Quickly seal the bag and place it on the lab bench in a plastic dish. Your partner should
start the timer as soon as the baking soda is added.
8. When the chemical reaction is finished measure the circumference of the bag using a
string and a ruler to estimate how full of gas it is.
9. Mix the ingredients completely by shaking and squishing the bag.
10. Once the reaction is complete, make observations of the fullness of the airbag and
whether or not the reagents seem to be completely used up.
11. Dump the remaining fluid from the bag in the waste jar in the hood and rinse and dry
your bag thoroughly.
12. If the bag was not full, design two additional trials changing the amounts of sodium
bicarbonate and or vinegar.
13. Remember to measure how full the bag measuring the circumference of the bag with a
string and ruler.
14. Before moving on, please return items to their location, rinse glassware dry it with
paper towel and place back into station drawer.

Questions and analysis:


1) Did the actual volume of the gas produced in your experiment match the expected
volume based on your calculations using the ideal gas law? If not, what factors could
explain any discrepancies?
2) How can you tell that the reaction between sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid has
reached completion? Did you observe any remaining solid (NaHCO3) or liquid (vinegar)
in the airbag after the reaction?
3) In this experiment, the pressure and temperature in the classroom were assumed to be
constant. How might changes in atmospheric pressure or room temperature affect your
calculations for the moles of CO2 gas produced?
Conclusion: write your conclusion, was your experiment a success or a failure? explain possible
sources of error and how the experiment might be improved.

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