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I was wondering if anyone had any project ideas on acid and bases as well some demonstrations I could do for the students. My department is moving more towards inquiry based lessons so I would like to incorporate a project based lesson for acid and bases. If anyone has any ideas it would be very helpful.

Hi Sung,
I am not sure if you are teaching elementary, middle or high school students. The NLC has inquiry lesson plans for all grade levels. Here is one for elementary or middle school students:
Indicators for Inquiry
And here is one for high school students:
What happens to Cemetery Headstones?

You probably are not in an elementary school since you spoke of 'your department', but if you teach kindergarten, you may find this discussion thread helpful:
Chemistry in the Kindergarten Class

Let us know what grade level and we can provide additional resources that are grade specific.
Carolyn

I am teaching high school chemistry. I will take a look at the resources. Thank you very much.

In my AP Chemistry class we do a guided inquiry to find the mass percent of citric acid in Goofy Powder- the only colorlessly dissolveable candy powder that I know. We make a major assumption that citric acid is the only acid present, however. But the students must research and complete their own lab procedures. etc. We do this after the acid base unit

Try this from the UCLA Inquiry science project

Attachments

What_is_pH_B_Wang.doc (0.23 Mb)

I start my lesson on acids and bases with an explanation of the pH scale and jump straight into a lab where my students use 6 different indicators (universal liquid, bromothymol blue, phenolphthalien, universal paper, blue litmus paper and red litmus paper) to identify the pH of 5 different substances (hydrochloric, carbonic (club soda), water, saltwater, and soap). My students enjoy seeing how the acid turns certain colors and the base another color. See a copy of the lab below. After that activity, I like to teach them how to neutralize an acid (HCl) with a base(NaOH)using titration. My students learn the titration technique first, and the following day we have titration races to see how fast and accurate they can perform a titration. They love the competion. If you have any questions, please let me know. Name ___________________________________ Date ____________________ Period ______ pH INDICATOR LAB Prelab: Describe the pH scale. Purpose: Observe how indicators identify the pH of a substance. Procedure: 1. Put 5 drops of each substance in the 6 wells across the table. 2. Put 1 drop of each indicator in the first 3 columns of wells. 3. Put ½ of an indicator paper in the last 3 columns of wells. 4. Record your observations. Universal Indicator Bromothymol Blue Ind. Phenolphthalien Indicator Paper Universal Indicator Paper Blue Litmus Paper Red Litmus Hydrochloric Acid Stomach Acid Carbonic Acid Club Soda Water Salt Water Sodium Hydroxide Soap 5. Describe the pH level that each indicator is best used to indicate. a. Universal Indicator b. Bromothymol Indicator c. Phenolphthalien d. Universal paper e. Litmus blue f. Litmus red

I do something similar, Robert. Since almost all acids or bases used in a high school chemistry classroom are colorless, it is necessary to use an indicator to determine if a chemical reaction is occurring. When we first start the acid/base unit, I like to teach my students about indicators and then have them do a serial dilution with a partner. I have them use 1 M HCl, 1M NaOH, and distilled water. I do not allow them to add any indicator until their serial dilutions are made. To check their work, we add universal indicator and you should get a range of pH from 0 to 14. The kids love it and it forces them to be very meticulous in their dilutions.

Hi All, Thank you for all of your replies. I was also trying to tie in inquiry based lab that has to do with the student's community. I teach in Farrington high school so things around there. Any ideas? Thank you again for all your help. Sung