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PROGRAM
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NAME
Materials:
Piece of chalk
Vinegar
Face mask/shield
Procedure:
1. Put your face mask/sheild on first thing. When pouring the vinegar be careful not to spill any on you and
do not put your face directly over the jar.
3. Carefully pour vinegar into the jar to cover the chalk. Watch closely.
4. Record your observations. What happened to the chalk? How did the vinegar react with the chalk? Write
your answer in the C-E-R format:
CLAIM: In my experiment, I know that Chalk contains a compound called calcium carbonate
(CaCO3), which reacts with vinegar (acetic acid, CH3COOH) to form the gas carbon dioxide (CO2). Some
of the mass of the chalk is lost to form this gas, making it smaller. Chalk is a sedimentary rock made of
calcium carbonate. Its immediately begins to dissolve when it comes in contact with an acid like vinegar.
EVIDENCE: Rocks that contain calcium carbonate can erode when they come in contact with
acids, and chalk contains calcium carbonate. Vinegar is acetic acid, and chalk is a base. An acid plus a
base causes a chemical reaction. So, vinegar combined with chalk creates a chemical reaction. When
acids and bases combine, they produce water and salts. Putting the chalk in the vinegar starts the chemical
reaction as the acid starts to dissolve the calcium carbonate. We can see the release of carbon dioxide
bubbles that fizz upward, and in time the vinegar becomes water. A calcium salt called calcium acetate is
created. The calcium salt is left behind as particles in the bottom of the container. Something similar
happens in nature, when the carbon dioxide in the air increases the acidity of rain and erodes rocks. Of
course, this natural chemical reaction happens much more slowly.
REASONING: This experiment is important because we think rocks last forever. These rocks, to
us, have lasted forever. But, if you look closely, change is taking place. This change is called weathering.
The term weathering refers to the destructive processes that change the character of rock at or near the
Earth's surface. There are two main types of weathering: mechanical and chemical. In the experiment we
performed chemical weathering, the processes of chemical weathering or rock decomposition transform
rocks and minerals exposed to water and atmospheric gases into new chemical compounds (different rocks
and minerals), some of which can be dissolved away. Weathering is a long, slow process, which is why we
think rocks last forever. Commonly, fractures in rocks are enlarged slowly by frost action or plant growth (as
roots pry into the fractures). This action causes more surface area to be exposed to chemical agents.
Chemical weathering works along contacts between mineral grains. Crystals that are tightly bound together
become looser as weathering products form at their contracts.