1. Thermodynamics Challenge Amy Jameson Honors Chemistry, Gilbert A
Thermodynamics Challenge Amy Jameson Honors Chemistry, Gilbert A. Dater High School
CEEMS is funded by the National Science Foundation, grant #
Big Idea/Challenge
Unit Activity Implementation
Engineering Design Process
Big Idea:
Minor physical injuries which can
benefit from quick, convenient treatment.
Challenge:
Design a hot pack or a cold pack that is
portable, cost effective, and that extends the period of time that the pack is at the desired temperature.
Identify & Define Students identified the challenge as a group
Gather Information Research revealed the reactants needed to
cause an exothermic or endothermic
reaction, as well as how packs can be
activated
Identify Alternatives Teams did preliminary chemical tests,
& Select Solutions graphed the data, and used it to select the
chemicals and design for the packs
Implement Solution The packs were assembled and activated in
temporary packaging
Evaluate Solution The duration of the temperature changes of
& Refine the temporary packs were checked,
changes were made, and when the teams
were satisfied, they constructed the final
packs. Using an infrared camera,
students activated the final packs to record
the maximum temperature change
Communicate Solution Students presented their
projects to the class
Students researched the chemical
reactants needed to cause an endothermic
or exothermic reaction. They tested them
in a simple calorimeter, and graphed
temperature data.
After choosing the contents, it was
time to design and construct the
packs
The thermal packs were a
assembled and tested using a
thermal imaging camera
Unit Structure
Guiding Questions
What arrangement of the hot or cold pack will allow the contents to remain unmixed until needed?
How will the hot/cold packs be activated?
How can the enthalpy change of a chemical reaction be used to predict the concentration of material to be used in the design?
What materials can be added to the design to extend the time the pack is at its required temperature?
Objectives
determine experimentally and mathematically the chemical components (and their concentrations) of endothermic and exothermic reactions to produce a 20oC temperature change
∙design a pack to hold the reactants separate until ready to activate the reaction
Standards
ONLS 2010 Chemistry Interactions of Matter
SC.CHE.3.1.c.2–Kinetics & Equilibrium SC.CHE.3.1.d.3–Concentration of Solutions
NGSS Physical Science 3: Energy A Definitions of Energy
3B Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer 3D Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life
Student Work and Results
ACS: Chemical Engineering, Product Research & Development,
Sports Medicine, Military Applications, Manufacturing Engineering
Reflection and Conclusion
The students enjoyed this challenge and recommended that it be taught to next year’s classes. The following changes will be made to
streamline the unit for time and student comprehension:
- cover all didactic instruction before EDP is introduced
- use a more guided approach to the research
- limit the variety of chemicals offered to reduce waste
In addition, this unit is recommended for classes of less than 20 students due to the safety issues in keeping track of so many chemicals.
Pretest results show that students had very little experience with these standards before the unit. No correct answers were given for quantitative problems prior to unit completion. The post test results show a significant increase in student learning for both objective questions and for the math application. All teams made a hot or cold pack that did function as shown by the infrared images of their final
products.