3rd Quarter Culminating Activity: Hot Packs/Cold Packs

Your project will be to conduct the necessary readings, experimentation, and evaluation to determine the best materials to use in a hand warmer/cold pack. After completing all the research and testing, your final task will be to
construct a safe usable hand warmer or cold pack, put together a scientific paper reporting all that you have found, and present to the class your product and evidence you have that supports the superiority of your product.

Preliminary Assignments:

LIST OF MATERIALS:
Write a complete list of materials you will need including amounts you will need. Students shall bring all materials that they can get at a grocery store or hardware store. Indicate materials for which you think you will need the instructor's help getting.

PRELIMINARY PROCEDURE:
Write out specifically all steps that you will need to take in making and testing your hand warmer/cold pack. The criteria for a good procedure is:

· Another student should be able to read it and make and test the exact same product and get the exact same results.

· Specify the independent variable (what you are varying - we will compare 10 mL of water vs. 20 mL),

· Determine the dependent variable (what you will measure as results - e.g.: we will measure temperature every 30 seconds),

· State the controlled variables (e.g., starting temperature will always be 20.0oC).

Portfolio

Everything should be word-processed except for original lab notes and the stamp sheet.
PROBLEM:
State very succinctly (one or two sentences) what you are trying to achieve

PROCEDURE:
As in the preliminary procedure, the procedure section here should be specific, detailed and complete. There should be notes as to how your procedure was changed from the preliminary draft and why.

RESULTS:
All data collected (good or bad) should be presented along with descriptive observations of how the procedure went and any problems encountered. Graphs, charts, and calculations (such as averages or Joules/gram) summarizing the data should also be included.

DISCUSSION:
Describe how you went about testing for the ideal hot pack or cold pack and any problems or unexpected results that you encountered. You should explain how you decided on the ideal amounts of each chemical in your hot pack/cold pack and how you developed the packaging.

Make sure to include the following in your discussion:

1. Calculate the heat of reaction (Hrxn) for the chemical reaction in your experiment. (hint: you will have to look up the standard heats of formation, Hf, and equations)
2. Write an equation including the heat term for the chemical reaction in your experiment.
3. Calculate the theoretical energy absorbed or released using the actual amounts of chemicals from your best results.
4. Use the equation, q = specific heat of water x grams of water x change in temperature, to calculate the actual amount of heat absorbed or released in your final mixture.
5. Compare the actual and theoretical values and explain any differences.
6. Draw an energy diagram for the reaction and explain why its drawn the way it is.

LIST OF REFERENCES:
List all your references alphabetically by author's last name. (See IMC handouts for format). There should be no references listed that were not referred to in the paper and all references used in the paper should be listed here.

ORIGINAL LAB NOTES:
These lab notes should be messy and represent all the work that the group did in lab for the 4 or 5 days assigned in the lab. They should not be re-written or made neater. They might even have samples of spilled ingredients.

STAMP SHEET:
This sheet must be present for each of the assigned lab days (see Chem calendar for Feb/March). The teacher will initial (or stamp) it at the end of each lab day. Keep the sheet and hand it in with the Portfolio for 20 points.

Presentation:

All group members should participate verbally in the presentation. An excellent presentation would include:

1. charts and graphs (large enough for the whole class to see - i.e., on a poster, on an overhead transparency, or on TV monitor from computer or VCR),

2. a spirited sales pitch (with evidence/data to back up claims),

3. use of appropriate chemical vocabulary and concepts,

4. a scientific explanation of results and

5. the final packaged product.

EVALUATION:

The group will get one total number of points. If there are 4 in the group (and the project is worth 100 pts each), then the total possible points is 400. If the teacher evaluates the group's effort as worth 350 points, then the group will meet and distribute these 350 points among the 4 group members appropriate to their contributions (with no group member earning more than 100 points). For example, with 350 group points, the group may decide to give member A 100 points, member B 90 points, member C 90 points, and member D 70 points. If a group member disagrees with the point distribution, then it is their obligation to write the teacher a one-page paper (due the day after the group meeting) outlining their efforts and reasons they believe they should get more or less points.

Project Grading

Due date / Description / Points
Preliminary Assignments / 1. List of materials
2. Preliminary Procedure / /5
/10
Must be present each lab day and include in Portfolio / Daily Log of work completed by group (stamp sheet) / /20
Portfolio / 1. Problem
2. Detailed procedure for manufacturing and testing your battery
3. Results: Data Tables, Word-processed
4. Discussion: scientific explanations and conclusions
5. List of References
6. Original lab notes written during lab
7. Stamp sheet / /5
/5
/10
/20
/5
/5
Presentation / Group members knowledgeable of material, use proper vocabulary during presentation, and have audio-visuals. / /15
Total points / /100