Title

Unknown Gases: Student-Designed Experiments in the Introductory Laboratory

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2002

Publication Title

Journal of Chemical Education

Department

Chemistry

Abstract

Introductory students design and carry-out experimental procedures to determine the identity of three unknown gases from a list of eight possibilities: air, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, helium, methane, and hydrogen. Although this is initially a challenging problem, the students need only a basic understanding of gas properties and reactivity in order to successfully design experiments to identify their gases. Students are excited and motivated by the opportunity to come up with their own experimental approach to solving a chemical problem and feel a strong sense of accomplishment when they succeed.

ISSN

0021-9584