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Balancing Equations and Conservation of Mass Lab Substitute

The document outlines a lab substitute focused on balancing chemical equations and the conservation of mass, emphasizing that matter is neither created nor destroyed in reactions. It provides instructions for using a PHET simulation to explore balancing equations with ammonia, water, and methane. The lab includes specific questions and tasks to guide students in understanding the principles of chemical reactions and balancing equations.

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Wilford Brimley
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5 views

Balancing Equations and Conservation of Mass Lab Substitute

The document outlines a lab substitute focused on balancing chemical equations and the conservation of mass, emphasizing that matter is neither created nor destroyed in reactions. It provides instructions for using a PHET simulation to explore balancing equations with ammonia, water, and methane. The lab includes specific questions and tasks to guide students in understanding the principles of chemical reactions and balancing equations.

Uploaded by

Wilford Brimley
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Balancing Equations and Conservation of Mass Lab Substitute

Background Information:

Conservation of mass states that matter is not created or destroyed within chemical reactions. Which
means if we started with 10 grams of Reactants then we must end with 10 grams of Products. In
chemistry we must balance equations to make sure we are not breaking the law of conservation.

This PHET simulation lets you change how many molecules you are working with until you find a
balanced set of Reactants (molecules on the left side of the equation) and the Products (Molecules on
the right side of the equation).

Example: C + O CO Reactants are in Red and Products are in Blue. The arrow shows the direction
of the reaction, it always goes reactants to products.

Instructions:

First click the introduction portion of the PHET simulation. On the top right of the simulation select the
balance icon under the “tools” section. Make sure you are working with “Ammonia” for the first set of
questions.

1) If you have 2 in front of Ammonia (NH3) as your product, how much of H2 and N2 did you need
on the reactants side in order for it to be balanced?

2) Based on question 1. How much Nitrogen atoms and Hydrogen atoms did you start with
(reactants side), and how much did you end with (products side)?

Now click on the “separate water” section on the bottom of the simulation.

3) If you set water (H2O) on the reactants side to 2, how many H2 and O2 molecules are required to
balance this equation?

4) How many individual Hydrogen atoms are on the reactants side? How many individual Hydrogen
atoms are on the products side?

Now click on the “combust methane” section on the bottom of the simulation.

5) Create your own balanced equation for this combustion equation and write the equation below.
Now switch to the “Game” section on the very bottom of the simulation and proceed to level one. The
game section has you balance the equations like you were doing in the introduction portion. Finish level
one and once you finished level one, take a screenshot and post it here.

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