Inorganic chemistry is the study of compounds that are not found in living things.
Inorganic chemistry is the branch of scientific study that seeks to discover and explain the composition, behavior and other properties of inorganic compounds. These include all of the compounds that are not found in living organisms (which are typically carbon-based and feature carbon-hydrogen bonds). However, there are often overlaps between the worlds of organic (living) and inorganic chemistry. Some inorganic chemistry projects involve removing stains, performing chromatography and analyzing charcoal.
Removing Stains with Solvents
According to educationbug.org, one of the most basic inorganic chemistry projects is determining the effectiveness of various solvents at removing stains. You will need to apply permanent marker or paint to a number of different surfaces, such as wood, cloth and plastic, and then predict which solvents will be the most effective at removing the stains. Base your assumptions on the various characteristics of each solvent, making sure to pay particular attention to polarity. How do very polar solvents, such as water, compare against very nonpolar solvents, such as turpentine?
Chromatography
Chromatography is the separating of a mixture by passing it through a medium, which causes the mixture's components to travel at different rates. Perhaps the best way to perform chromatography in an experiment is to use paper as your medium. Paper, which is quite porous, has a large surface area that attracts and absorbs the ions and/or molecules of different substances at different rates. To operationalize the experiment, sciencebuddies.org, recommends that you cut out several strips of paper, all of the same size, and apply a dot of different-colored inks to each (making sure the dots are all in the same location). Dip just the tip of each strip into a glass of water (your solvent), and observe the ink as the water travels up the paper. You should notice that each ink (or solution) travels at a different rate up the medium. Scientists use these same rates to help determine the composition of substances.
Charcoal Moisture Content
This inorganic chemistry project could perhaps be considered as overlapping into the realm of organic chemistry. That is because charcoal, although certainly not alive, is composed of the fossilized remains of extremely ancients (millions of years old) organisms. According to p2pays.org, you will first need to weigh a sample of coal, and then place it in a crucible (which is container made of metal or ceramic that is used to heat substances to very hot temperatures). Using tongs, hold the crucible over a Bunsen burner for several minutes until the charcoal's impurities burn away, and weigh the sample again. Next, you will want to put your sample into an oven for an hour (ideally a specialized drying oven that some labs are equipped). Reweigh your sample for a final time and calculate the total weight loss your sample is undergone: This will roughly equal how much moisture was present in the charcoal to begin with.
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