3.01 Physical Properties of Water

© 2004 NASA	When the Space Shuttle is launched, chemical reactions begin inside the engines. The ground rumbles. The deafening roar of the engines fills your ears. 300,000 gallons of water billow instantly into steam from below the Space Shuttle. Physical and chemical changes of elements and compounds are an integral part of boosting the Space Shuttle into orbit. The lesson below will introduce you to these types of changes.
Physical properties are those that you can detect with your senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell. With just a glass of water, you can explore physical properties of water.

Activity: Investigating Water

glass of drinking water	paper cup	pen	freezer
cooking pot	stove	thermometer	piece of paper

Procedure:

Obtain a clear glass and fill it with water. Or, observe water as it pours from a faucet. List at least five physical properties of the water (five words that describe the water).
Fill the paper cup half full of water. Mark the height of water on the outside of the cup. Freeze the water overnight. Look at the height of the ice compared to the line you drew the day before. What property of water do you observe?
Fill a small sauce pan 1/3 to 1/2 full of water and heat it on the stove. Use your thermometer supplied with the lab kit to find the highest temperature reached. **Do not allow your thermometer to sit in the pan on the bottom. Hold the thermometer away from the pan bottom and measure the temperature of the water.** This physical property is called the boiling point of water. What is the boiling point of water according to your thermometer?
What would have to be done to the water to make it change chemically, that is, make it change into the substances that compose it —hydrogen and oxygen? Remember, boiling water will not change it chemically, but will only cause a phase change.
Find the Density of the water.
- Density = Mass/Volume
- In other words, how much matter is crammed into a given space
- Here is some information you will need. The data has been collected for you.

	Item	Mass
	Empty graduated cylinder	41.6 grams
	Graduated cylinder containing 82 ml of water	123.1 grams
	Mass of the water	? grams
	Density of the water	? g/mL

What was the density of the water in g/mL?
Remember that you want to find the density of just the water. Show your all your work and data. List all measurements in a data table.

Now look at the piece of paper. Using your knowledge of atoms from the Nuclear unit,
- Describe two differences in the physical properties of water and the piece of paper.
- Describe reasons the paper's physical properties are different from the water's physical properties.

To complete #5 above, you do not need the graduated cylinder; all the information you need to solve is included in the problem. However, you will need to review how to read your cylinder for future use. Using a Graduated Cylinder

chemistry comedy: I bought some powdered water, but I don't know what to add to it.

image; computer screen
© 2004 www.clipart.com

What to do:

Make sure that you have completed the assignment as directed.
Create a document for your answers for questions 1–6, and save it as a .rtf file.
Please go to the Assessment area and complete 3.01 Physical Properties of Water.