Synthesis Reaction Lab

Purpose:  Will rust form if steel wool is exposed to oxygen?

Materials:
2 small jars (such as baby food jars)
2 petri dishes
steel wool
water

Procedure:

  1. Label the jars A and B.
  2. Place a small amount of steel wool in the bottom of jar A.  Use tape to hold it when the jar is inverted.
  3. Place 1-2 cm of water in each dish.
  4. Turn jars upside down and place one in each dish.
  5. Observe for 5 days.
Observation/Data:
Day
Water Level in Dish
 Water Level in Jar Appearance of Steel Wool
A
B
A
B
1
1.3 cm
1.3 cm
1.3 cm
1.3 cm
 light grey all over
2
1.0 cm
1.1 cm
1.0 cm
1.1 cm
 light grey all over
3
0.7 cm
0.8 cm
0.6 cm
0.8 cm
 light grey all over
4
0.4 cm
0.5 cm
0.5 cm
0.5 cm
 light grey all over
5
0.2 cm
0.3 cm
0.4 cm
0.3 cm
 slight rust on part
Review:

Help me out here!
1. What happened to the water level in Dish A?  Dish B?
It increased. It decreased. Nothing.
2. What happened to the water level in Jar A? Jar B?
It decreased in Jar A, and stayed the same in Jar B. Nothing. It decreased in both.
3. What happened to the steel wool?
Nothing. It Rusted. It shrunk because it's wool.
4. Why were the two jars and dishes used but only one had steel wool in it?
B was a control group for comparison. Chaos theory made it a requirement in order to save the world. It was neccesary to test the effects of water on plain glass jars.
Back to Home