RedHawk Lab

Sonia Massey & Kelsey Malven

Abstract
A complex series of changes is observed
when water and 3 other substances, solid
sodium bicarbonate, a solution of phenol
red, and solid calcium chloride in water
are mixed in a Ziploc bag. Some of the
changes that were observed were in
appearance, temperature of the mixtures,
and the state it was in (solid, gas, liquid).
We mixed the three substances, solid
sodium bicarbonate, a solution of phenol
red, and solid calcium chloride. The
changes we observed were it turning
yellow, going from extremely warm to
cold, and fizzing because of the gas that
was produced. Our approach to test our
hypothesis was to test two substances at
a time to figure out which pairs of
substances are responsible for each of
the changes we observed. We came up
with the hypothesis that if you do not add
a liquid to a mixture, it does not react very
well. We came to that conclusion by
noticing that when water or phenol red
(the two liquids) werent applied, there
were no reactions. Also, we noticed that
whenever you mixed the calcium chloride
with any one of the two liquids, the
mixture increased in temperature. By
testing each substance with one other
substance, we could determine what
substances were the ones responsible for
the changes we observed.

Objectives
The objective of this project was to
observe the physical and chemical
properties of several different
substances, and understand which
substances were responsible for
each chemical change that resulted.
The purpose of doing so was to
broaden our knowledge of each
substance and further our
understanding of physical and
chemical changes. We were able to
apply our understanding of the
scientific method and our
observation skills as well. Overall,
conducting this lab allowed us to
determine the differing
characteristics of calcium chloride,
sodium bicarbonate, and phenol red
solution. First, each substances
physical properties were observed,
which allowed us to differentiate
between each substance. We then
formed a variety of mixtures with
the three substances and water.
Combining two substances at at
time, we observed several different
changes, such as the creation of
bubbles, a change in temperature,
and a change in color. By
organizing our observations in our
chart, we were able to easily identify
which substances caused each
change, and observe the influence
of water on each reaction. It was
important that we did so in order to
fully understand the properties of
each substance and what changes
it accounted for.

Methods
To conduct our research, we began by
observing and describing the
appearance of calcium chloride,
sodium bicarbonate, and phenol red
solution, in an organized chart.
Then, we placed specific amounts of
each substance in separate parts of a
Ziploc bag. Making sure that all the air
was removed from the bag, we
allowed everything to mix slowly.
As the substances mixed, we recorded
all changes that occurred when we
observed the bag.
After doing so, we tested 2 substances
at a time in order to determine which
pairs of substances caused each
change that we observed.
We organized our observations of the
changes that occurred in a chart in
which we placed a checkmark under
the two substances that we tested.
When recording our observations, we
made sure to describe the changes in
complete detail by using descriptive
words, so when analyzing our data,
we were able to visualize each
change.
Once all the pairs we tested, we
gathered our information on which
substance was responsible for each
change by analyzing our observations
and making note of patterns that
occurred.
We used statistical analysis to analyze
our data in the sense that we made
sure to record each and every detail
that we observed, and we took each
detail into consideration when
determining which change it caused.
Although we used statistical analysis
to analyze our data, we did not use a
literature review when conducting our
research.

When conducting our experiment, we placed

each substance in different parts of a Ziploc bag
like so, then allowed them to mix slowly.

We organized our data and observations in a table similar to this

in order to successfully carry out our experiment.

Results

We tested two substances at

a time to figure out which
pairs of substances are
responsible for each of the
changes we observed. We
tested different combinations
of the 4 substances 6 times.
We discovered a lot of things
by testing the substances
like this. We discovered that
the substances that is
responsible for the increase
of temperature is calcium
chloride. Also, we discovered
that the substance
responsible for the observed
color change was the
carbonic acid and phenol
red.

Conclusions
Overall, in this lab we
discovered that the calcium
chloride and water are
responsible for the increase
in temperature. The phenol
red and the sodium
bicarbonate are responsible
for the color change that
occurred. Finally, we learned
that the calcium chloride,
bicarbonate, and the water
formed a new substance. For
example, in the experiment,
when the calcium chloride
and the phenol red was
combined, the temperature of
the bag rised. Secondly, when
the baking soda and the
phenol red was combined,
the substance became a
lighter shade of red. Lastly,
when the sodium
bicarbonate, calcium
chloride, and water was
combined, the substance
fizzed loudly and became hot.
The bag also inflated. The
reason why the bubbles
formed was because a new
chemical substance was
created when the calcium
chloride and the sodium
bicarbonate reacted together
with the water. When the
sodium bicarbonate is mixed
with water, the carbon acid
reacts to form carbon
dioxide, which causes the
bubbles. During this lab, we
learned about many different
physical and chemical
changes that occur in each of
the substances. We also
learned about the physical
and chemical properties of
calcium chloride, sodium
bicarbonate, and phenol red
solution. We benefited from
these findings because we
were able to further our
general knowledge on each of
these substances. We were
also able to become familiar
with the process of using the
scientific method, along with
strengthening our ability to
observe and analyze data. We
also were able to recognize
chemical changes, which will
be a very helpful ability in
future labs.