Hurts like Steam!

Today in chemistry class, Mr. Lieberman discussed with us how our tables should look like for the lab we did on January 24th, as shown by the image on the left.

The theoretical heat curve that can be observed has two platforms. The first platform is at the bottom left, which is the melting phase where the ice melts into a liquid. This platform only has temperatures from 0 degrees C to approximately 5 degrees C. After this melting phase, it is liquid, where it immediately gains energy and increases in temperature all the way to the boiling point. The boiling point is the second platform. Here, the water is boiled and vaporized into the air at the temperatures 100 degrees C to approximately 101 degrees C.

The amazing section of this lecture was that past beyond the vaporization

point, the temperature of the steam can keep increasing to an infinitely high number. This is equally true for the melting point, for before the ice melts, it can have an infinitely low temperature. Both of these situations is demonstrated by the picture below.

We also learned that during the melting phase \Delta H fusion = kJ/\o is the equation used to determine the heat in order to cause this physical change from solid to liquid. To f

ind the energy that is used to reach the boiling point, this equation must be utilized: q=M x C x \Delta T . And finally, to find the energy that is used to actually turn the water into vapor, this equation must be utilized: \delta H vaporization = KJ/ \o

Stepping aside from Chemistry for a moment, I give you a picture of a small monkey. Attempt to absorb his cute-ness and calculate the percent error of cute-ness absorbed versus the theoretical cute-ness that the monkey gives off.

Mr. Lieberman performed a demonstration where he had a coiled copper tube inside of a flask, which is has water and is on a hotplate. Once the water began to boil, the hot steam went into the copper tube. Under the coiled part of the copper tube, the steam trap, there was a burner that heated the steam substantially in order to prove that steam can be heated to a way higher temperature. This can be seen by the line graph farther above. The steam, however, was able to burn a hole through a sheet of paper and it was able to light a match!

The next scribe is Korri H.

Kickin'!