GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY

COURSE MODULE COURSE UNIT WEEK

1 5 5
Scent of Mixtures

 Read course and unit objectives

 Read study guide prior to class attendance
 Read required learning resources and watch the videos; refer to unit terminologies for
jargons
 Proactively participate in classroom discussions
 Participate in weekly discussion board (Canvas)
 Answer and submit course unit tasks

At the end of this unit, the students are expected to:

1. Produce a DIY air freshener

2. Apply the safety precautions in the preparation of air freshener
3. Demonstrate and Apply the wafting technique in determining odors of substances
 Open Educational Resources:
 Wafting Technique
https://youtu.be/WtRk6LABjs0
 How To Make Air Fresheners - 100% Natural, Easy
and Cheap!
https://youtu.be/iq2uaHHk1uE

This Photo by Unknown Author is

licensed under CC BY-SA
Waft is a term meaning to "carry along gently as through the air." The term is commonly used
to describe scents that have diffused into other parts of a room, or to describe smoke as being
seen moving through the air. Wafting may be used for everyday substances, to make sure they
are fresh, or consumable.

Wafting gas are gases which stays lightly over water are called wafting gas. These gases are
harmful for people leaving in coastal areas. They are mainly released from industries and
cause breathlessness. They are often colourless with pungent smell. When you are in the
laboratory and take a direct sniff of the chemicals you are using, you run the risk of damaging
your mucous membranes or your lungs.

The sense of smell is often relied upon in the laboratory. Unfortunately, it can be easily
damaged. Care should always be taken whenever a student needs to use his or her sense of
smell. An odor must never be smelled directly. Detecting an odor in a laboratory is best done
using the technique of wafting. Wafting involves drawing one’s hand across the opening of a
container in order to push the odor towards the nose (see Figure 1). If the odor is undesirable
or dangerous, the person can move his or her face away. Most gases, including noxious ones
quickly diffuse through air. The lower the molecular weight of the gas, the faster its rate of
diffusion. An increase in temperature will also increase the rate of gas diffusion. Students
should be made aware that gases produced during certain reactions can be of serious
concern, even if their production cannot be detected by human senses.
 Figure 1

Care should always be taken whenever a student needs to use his or her sense of smell. An
odor must never be smelled directly. Detecting an odor in a laboratory is best done using the
technique of wafting. ... If the odor is undesirable or dangerous, the person can move his or
her face away.

When you are in the laboratory and take a direct sniff of the chemicals you are using, you run
the risk of damaging your mucous membranes or your lungs. When it is necessary to smell
chemicals in the lab, the proper technique is to cup your hand above the container and waft
the air toward your face.

DIY Air Freshener

Materials:
Unflavored gelatin
Water
Fragrance oil (from orange peel)
Food coloring
Table salt
Small jars

Procedure:
 Boil one cup of water and stir in four packages of gelatin until dissolved. Remove from
heat and add in one cup of cold water.
 Add about 10 to 20 drops of the fragrance oil to the gelatin. If you would like, add a few
drops of food coloring as well.
 Add one tablespoon of salt to the gelatin mixture to keep mold from growing.
 Carefully pour the gel into the small jars. Allow the gel to set either at room temperature
or in the refrigerator.
  Set them around your home and smell the fragrance coming from them.

Gel air fresheners are able to scent the air for a long time because gelatin is a polymer.
Specifically, the polymer is collagen, a protein that forms a matrix type structure, allowing the
gelatin to hold its shape. The fragrance oil particles are suspended in the matrix of the gel
which keeps the scent trapped inside. As the gel evaporates, the scent particles are released
from the matrix, causing a continuous scent to be released from the air freshener.

Waft – pass or cause to pass easily or gently through or as if through the air.

Gelatin –  is protein obtained by boiling skin, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones with water. It is
usually obtained from cows or pigs.

Diffusion - process resulting from random motion of molecules by which there is a net flow of
matter from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration. A familiar example
is the perfume of a flower that quickly permeates the still air of a room.

Study Questions

1. Why is wafting preferable than smelling directly substances? Explain.

2. What is the importance of adding a teaspoon of salt in the air gel?

Post the pictures your DIY air freshener in our Discussion Board: Lab Experiment #5.
You can explore other scent by using different essential oils found in your home.
Neha Tukral (2014) Wafting gas Retrieved from

https://www.meritnation.com/ask-answer/question/what-is- wafting-gas/chemical-
reactions-and-equations/7653021

Benes, Elaine (2010) Smelling a Chemical: The Wafting Technique

https://www.labmanager.com/lab-health-and-safety/smelling-a-chemical-the-wafting-technique-
19098

How to Make Scented Air Fresheners Retrieved from

https://learning-center.homesciencetools.com/article/how-to-make-scented-air-
fresheners-science-project/