YourPrincess Posted June 12, 2016 Report Share Posted June 12, 2016 So for my IA I wanted to determine whether or not the affect of different temperatures affect the solubility of Sodium Hydroxide. My teacher did not say anything about the IA but when I did some research online I found out that it is extremely dangerous to add Sodium Hydroxide in boiling water and now I am worried and Idk whether or not I can continue with my IA. I also have another problem, I'm not sure whether or not this topic is already a prescribed experiment because if it is then I can't do it. Please help! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kw0573 Posted June 12, 2016 Report Share Posted June 12, 2016 The topic as it is right now has several downsides - The solvation of most salts in water is exothermic, so you can only use cool temperatures, not warm ones. Just to be safe you should always use a ice bath and add base to water. - You need a lot of sodium hydroxide. - The relationship is well established and well known, so it is more difficult to come up with some new procedures. One thing you can try is some less soluble salts. You should also consider other topics available. When choosing a topic, you should, in addition to everything you considered, compare the procedure to the criteria found in the Chemistry guide. For example, for such a topic, it is quite difficult to score full 2/2 in Personal Engagement criteria. We know that the solubility is going to be a curve. In both Analysis and Exploration criteria, it uses words or the alike of "sufficient data" to justify a curve. A stereotypical 5-point plot would not be enough. Maybe you need 10 points? 20 points? Some other experiments may require less datapoints. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
YourPrincess Posted June 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 On 6/13/2016 at 1:21 AM, kw0573 said: The topic as it is right now has several downsides - The solvation of most salts in water is exothermic, so you can only use cool temperatures, not warm ones. Just to be safe you should always use a ice bath and add base to water. - You need a lot of sodium hydroxide. - The relationship is well established and well known, so it is more difficult to come up with some new procedures. One thing you can try is some less soluble salts. You should also consider other topics available. When choosing a topic, you should, in addition to everything you considered, compare the procedure to the criteria found in the Chemistry guide. For example, for such a topic, it is quite difficult to score full 2/2 in Personal Engagement criteria. We know that the solubility is going to be a curve. In both Analysis and Exploration criteria, it uses words or the alike of "sufficient data" to justify a curve. A stereotypical 5-point plot would not be enough. Maybe you need 10 points? 20 points? Some other experiments may require less datapoints. Thank you for the reply! I only have 300g of NaOH, would that be enough??? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kw0573 Posted June 14, 2016 Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 Again, I think you may do better to find another topic. You should look at existing solubility data for sodium hydroxide and water to see how much you need, if you are set on doing this topic Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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