States Of Matter Lab Report

          In class, a series of experiments based on the states of matter was conducted. First, we did an experiment where we had to observe a candle and list its physical properties before and after it was lit and its chemical properties. When the candle was lit, I noticed that the wax was starting to melt, which is a physical change. This was a physical change because the substance did not turn into another substance. A chemical change that I saw in this lab was that the candle was burning. As a result, it was causing smoke to form, which is a new substance. After the lab was done, I learned that in order to cause a chemical change, you have to do something to it. For example, imagine a piece of wood that is not on fire. Can anyone ever name a chemical change? No, because you have to do something to it like burning or causing it to explode so it will turn into a new substance. The next experiment are class did was where we had to mix vinegar and baking soda to create a colorless, odorless gas called carbon dioxide  and pour it over a lit candle. When my group was mixing the vinegar and a small amount of baking soda, we saw that we were forming a chemical change because the liquid had turned into a new substance. When we tilted the glass over the candle flame as if we were pouring something on the flame, the flame went out in a second. This happened due to the lack of oxygen, and as a result, the flame went out. Another experiment we did was where we had to rip a small marshmallow, determine the type of change we just did, and then eat it and describe its taste. After that, we had to take a large marshmallow, place it on a skewer, hold it over the Bunsen burner until it burns, eat the blackened part of the substance, and describe its taste. When the small marshmallow was ripped, it was considered as a physical change because the substance did not change into another form. Also, when the ripped pieces of the small marshmallow were tasted, it was described as sweet, soft, sugary, and melting. In addition, when the blackened part of the big marshmallow was eaten, it tasted burned, and disgusting. When the big marshmallow was getting burned, we were causing a chemical change because the marshmallow was turning into a new substance, which was burned sugar. Furthermore, the marshmallows were solids, which is one of the three states of matter, because it had a definite shape and volume. Last but not least, are class did another experiment where we had to observe changes in matter. We were given four sugar cubes, and first we had to describe its physical properties like its size, shape, color, etc. After that, we had to take two of the sugar cubes and use a mortar and a pestle to crush them into a powder which resulted, a physical change because it was the same substance as before. The substance still had the same taste, volume, and color. Next, we had to take the crushed sugar and put it into a glass of water and stir it with a spoon. When we looked carefully at the liquid, we noticed that the sugar was not visible because it dissolved, which is a chemical change. To check if the sugar was still present, we took a taste of the water. It tastes very sweet, so we knew that the sugar was still there. If one could not taste the water, then one possible way to prove that the sugar is still present is by evaporating the water. The next step we had to do was take the left over two sugar cubes and place them into a test tube. Then, we had to heat the test tube over the Bunsen burner until the sugar burned. As it was burning, we realized that the sugar was turning into a dark black substance. This change was a chemical change, and there was a light yellow substance around the black substance in the test tube. After this experiment, I learned the difference between a chemical change and a physical change. Furthermore, all this information that I learned from the experiments can be applied to the future as well. For example, a puddle drying out is evaporation because it is a liquid changing to gas only at the surface. Also, when one is cutting vegetables, they are causing a physical change. In conclusion, I learned a bunch of new information from these experiments and they can be applied to my daily life, too.