Notes on activities for teachers/

technicians for Chapter 3

Activity 3.1
Testing metals and non-metals
Apparatus and chemicals
6 V battery or a d.c. power supply
a small light bulb and/or ammeter
connecting wires and crocodile clips
a range of sample materials to test
Note
Examine a range of solid elements and alloys including magnesium, zinc, tin, iron, nickel, roll sulfur,
graphite, brass and solder. Possible demonstration substances include sodium, mercury and phosphorus.
One interesting item to test is a pencil sharpened at both ends – both the external wood and the pencil ‘lead’
can be tested.

Answers to question
A1 They all contain free electrons that can be made to flow in one direction.

© Cambridge University Press 2014 IGCSE Chemistry Notes on activities for teachers/technicians: Chapter 3 1
 Activity 3.2
Boiling water in a cup of ice!
This is a novel experiment that can serve as an illustration of the differences in the organisation of particles in
solids and liquids.
Apparatus and chemicals
large mug
plastic cup or yogurt pot, small enough to fit neatly inside the mug without touching the side
small coins
sticky tape
freezer
microwave
thermometer
Note
A microwave oven heats using microwave radiation. Like all other electromagnetic radiation, this has an
associated electrical field which is constantly reversing its direction. Water molecules, being polar, line up
with this field and therefore constantly change direction. The water molecules finish up rotating and gain
energy. Eventually the water will boil. The water molecules in ice are held in a lattice structure and are not
free to rotate. The ice cannot absorb the energy from the microwaves and therefore does not warm up as
readily.
A demonstration using a microwave oven can be useful in discussing the difference between a polar and
non-polar solvent – water and paraffin, for instance. Water will be heated in the oven whereas paraffin will
not. This can then be discussed in terms of the nature of the solvents and the demonstration augmented
by using thermochromic mugs. A short article entitled ‘Microwaveable solvents’ appeared in Education in
Chemistry (September 2013) on this type of demonstration and this can be accessed at www.rsc.org/eic.

Answers to questions
A1 The water molecules in ice are held in fixed positions / close together in a lattice / they are vibrating
about fixed points.
In the liquid, the molecules are close together but less organised / they are free to move about.
In the gas, the molecules are far apart from each other and are moving about randomly.
A2 Microwave heating is more effective in liquids, where moving molecules can hit each other and pass on
the motion. Microwave heating is more efficient in liquid water than frozen water, where the movement
of the molecules is restricted.

© Cambridge University Press 2014 IGCSE Chemistry Notes on activities for teachers/technicians: Chapter 3 2
 Activity 3.3
Modelling the bonding in covalent substances
Equipment
Students work in groups using molecular modelling kits (available commercially from sources such as
Molymod or Prentice-Hall). It is useful to use the models to illustrate what is involved in a chemical reaction
and this illustrates the need to balance equations.
Methane and oxygen: CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O
Ethanol and oxygen: C2H5OH + 3O2 → 2CO2 + 3H2O

© Cambridge University Press 2014 IGCSE Chemistry Notes on activities for teachers/technicians: Chapter 3 3
 Activity 3.4
Modelling metallic crystal structure
Apparatus and chemicals
Petri dish
water
detergent
gas syringe
bent pipette
Note
The Petri dish can be placed on an overhead projector so that students can see the discontinuities in the
bubble pattern more easily.

© Cambridge University Press 2014 IGCSE Chemistry Notes on activities for teachers/technicians: Chapter 3 4
 Activity 3.5
Intriguing alloys
Apparatus and chemicals
small samples of tin, lead and solder (flux-free)
Bunsen burner and heatproof mat
tripod
pipeclay triangle
crucible lid
steel tray or tin lid
samples of Field’s metal alloy and nitinol – these are available from various suppliers including Mindsets
(UK) Ltd (www.mindsetsonline.co.uk) and Educational Innovations Inc. (www.teachersource.com)
Hazards
T lead, solder
Safety
Comparing solder with tin and lead: Wear eye protection throughout. Be very careful to avoid coming
into contact with molten drops of metal. Ensure good ventilation, particularly if a large number of
experiments are being carried out. Alternatively, carry out the experiment in a fume cupboard (asthmatics
should be directed to do this). Be sure to use flux-free solder. Make sure that students keep track of which
sample is which.
Note
The melting points of tin and lead are 232 °C and 328 °C respectively. Solder melts at a lower temperature
than either of these. Thus, the order of melting is: solder, tin and lead, and the order of re-solidifying is the
opposite of this.

© Cambridge University Press 2014 IGCSE Chemistry Notes on activities for teachers/technicians: Chapter 3 5