Science: Nail Corrosion

 Hi there!

Today I will be writing about the experiment I did in Science class as a part of what I am studying, Metallurgy. 

Aim: 

To investigate how different things make iron nails corrode. 

Method: 

1. Get a test tube rack and six test tubes. 

2. Place an iron nail wrapped in tinfoil in the first test tube. 

3. In the next, place a nail inside fill it up with water until it covers the nail, then place a layer of oil on top of the water.

4. In the third test tube, place the nail inside, then put a small spoonful of Calcium Chloride powder and place a bung (test tube plug) on top of the tube. 

5. In the fourth test tube, place water inside the tube, approximately enough to cover the nail once it is placed, next mix in a couple of spoonful's of salt and mix it until dissolved, then place the nail. 

6. In the fifth test tube, place a nail covered in nail polish inside. 

7. In the last test tube, place a nail inside and cover it fully with water. 

8. Leave it undisturbed for at least 3 days.

Results/Observations:

Here is a photo of my test tubes, right after I set them up:

Here are photos of the test tubes after leaving them alone for about 5-7 days:

Left to right: tinfoil, water+oil, calcium chloride + bung, salt water, nail polish, water 

Left to right: tinfoil, water+oil, calcium chloride + bung, salt water, nail polish, water 

Discussion:

In order for iron corrosion, or rusting to occur there must be two things present, water and oxygen. When either of these is removed, no rusting can happen. Iron doesn't need to be under water to rust because majority of the time there is some water in the air. There is also always a small amount oxygen that has been dissolved in water too. Salt speeds up rusting, that is why there is more rusting on iron in coastal areas of New Zealand, not inland. 

Luckily, rusting can be stopped, or at least slowed down. The most obvious answer is to keep water and oxygen away from each other, but then we would not be able to use iron. So, the following are used to protect iron from rusting over:

- Paint. Paint is used because it coats the iron, protecting it from moisture and oxygen.

- Zinc. Coating iron with zinc, or galvanising it prevents rusting too. The zinc forms an impenetrable surface cover of zinc oxide which resists rust. 

- Grease. Grease is a sticky, water-repelling substance that also stops oxygen from reaching iron. 

The nail wrapped in tinfoil showed little rusting. It still had rusting because there was moisture trapped inside as well as some air too. 

The nail which was cover with water and then a layer of oil had little rust on the nail, but lots of rust coloured speckles next to the layer where the water and oil met. 

The nail with the calcium chloride powder and bung on top didn't show any rusting. This happened because it had not access to water or oxygen. 

The nail with salt water had rust around the nail, as well as some rust floating at the top too. 

The nail with nail polish didn't show any signs of rust. This happened because it was coated, so the oxygen and water couldn't reach it. 

The nail in regular water showed the most signs of rust. It had lots of rust on the nail and lots of speckles of rust floating around in the water.

Conclusion: 

This experiment worked, I was able to see the effects of corrosion on iron nails with different substances. Next time, I would like to test more substances and they corrode iron nails to widen my knowledge. I really enjoyed this experiment, it was a change having to wait for the results, rather than knowing straight away. 

Thanks for reading!

Social Studies: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Hi there!

Today I will be writing about what I have been learning about in Social Studies recently, The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. 

What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and where is it?

The GPGP (Great Pacific Garbage Patch) is a large plastic grouping offshore. It is the largest of 5 offshore plastic accumulation groups in the ocean. The GPGP is located halfway between California and Hawaii. The GPGP is twice the size of the state of Texas in the U.S.A., or, 3 times the size of France. This also translates to 1.6 million square kilometers. 

It's estimates that 1.15-2.41 million tonnes of plastic enters the ocean through rivers every year. More than half of this plastic is less dense than the ocean, meaning that once it enters the ocean, it will never sink. 

The stronger plastics (interestingly more buoyant plastics too) show strong resiliency in a marine environment, This lets them be transported throughout the sea for extended distances. Eventually after much persistence, they make their way to the Garbage Patch and starts to become microplastic particles. 

How is it impacting the environment in a negative way? 

It is impacting the environment negatively in plenty of ways, here is a facts list of what is happening:

- The ocean is becoming more acidic and polluted

- If nothing is done, coral reefs may cease to exist in the next century

- If we don't do anything about ocean pollution, by 2050 the ocean will be filled with 50% of plastic and 50% of fish

- Plastic in the patch doesn't just stay in one place, it moves with the currents of the ocean. A plastic bottle could take 3-5 years to travel from California to Japan.

- Animals mistake microplastics for food, and eat them. These plastics stay with them until they die and carry on 'living' much longer than any of their lifetimes.

- It is estimated that there are at least 500 times more microplastics in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy. 

- The GPGP is actually mostly filled with single-use plastic such as plastic cutlery and bags.

-Not entirely related, but a cool fact: 

Marine animals like dolphins and whales come up to breathe, they are actually fertilising phytoplankton. These phytoplankton take in 3-4 more times of carbon dioxide than the whole Amazonian forest per year.

So, if these animals die, the ocean dies, and then, eventually we die too. 

What is being done to help with this problem?

Fortunately, people are becoming more aware of this issue. People are being more mindful with what they are purchasing and not buying single-use plastics. Simple things like owning a reusable drink bottle, using reusable bags are a great way to help. Researchers are also taking plastic and seeing when it was made and where it comes from, so they can get a better idea of what plastic is out there and how to combat it. 

What do YOU think?

It's a really sobering thought, thinking that an animal that swallows just even one piece of plastic will die. But the plastic they consume will carry on living for much longer than its lifetime. To me the designed life of plastic is artificial and unnatural. It’s designed to repel all natural forces, it is an alien to this planet. If you think about it, plastic has a life of what we associate with Mythological gods from Greece and Rome; endless. 

Thanks for reading!

Science: Oxygen

 Hi there!

Today I will be writing about two experiments I did in Science where we tested for Oxygen. 

Experiment 1: Making a Metal Oxide 

Aim: To make a metal oxide and observe the difference in the properties of the product compared to the reactants.

Method: 

1. Light your Bunsen burner.

2. Hold a piece of magnesium in scissor tongs. Ensure you are holding onto the very tip of the magnesium. 

3. Place the other end of the magnesium into the Bunsen flame (at the top of the blue flame).

4. When the magnesium begins to burn, do not look directly at it, as the light emitted can permanently damage your eyes. 

Results:

Discussion:

Like most Science experiments, there is a chemical equation. For this experiment, the generic equation is:

Metal + Oxygen ---> Metal Oxide

So, for this experiment the chemical equation was: 

Magnesium + Oxygen ---> Magnesium Oxide

From this equation we learn that when a metal reacts with oxygen it produces a metal oxide. Also we learn that when a substance burns, the burning process is actually reaction with oxygen, So when you are burning something you're actually adding oxygen to it. 

Conclusion: 

The experiment worked, we successfully added oxygen to a metal and created a metal oxide. I would like to try this experiment with different metals and see if the results will be different. 

Experiment 2: Testing for the Presence of Oxygen

Aim: To carry out a test for the presence of oxygen gas (O2).

Method: 

1. Light your Bunsen burner.

2. Add manganese dioxide to the boiling tube and place it in your tube test rack.

3. Add 2mL of hydrogen peroxide.

4. Light a splint and let it burn for a while.

5. Blow the splint out and insert the glowing embers into the mouth of the boiling tube. 

Results: 

The hydrogen peroxide and manganese dioxide bubbled together, when the glowing splint was placed into the boiling tube it reignited. 

Discussion:

The chemical equation for this experiment was:

Metal + Hydrogen Peroxide ---> Oxygen

For the experiment I conducted, the chemical equation was:

Manganese Dioxide + Hydrogen Peroxide ---> Oxygen

The end outcome will still remain as oxygen. So, when we place a recently blown-out splint into a tube where oxygen is being produced the splint will reignite. The splint reignites because fire requires two "ingredients" to come alive, air and oxygen. Because of this the splint had the perfect environment and ignited again. 

Conclusion:

The experiment worked well, I really enjoyed it and I wouldn't do it any differently. 

Thanks for reading!

English: A Short Story Account from 'The Trolley'

 Hi there!

Today in English class I wrote a short account of a character's perspective of their summer school holidays from 'The Trolley' written by Patricia Grace.

Here is the short account/P.O.V. I wrote from the character, Miria. 

WALT: Write an account of Miria or Hoani’s point of view of the gift when they are telling their class what they got at Christmas.

I’m walking to school for the first time since my summer holiday that passed too quickly. Got the best Christmas gift, my mum made me and my brother a racing trolley! Every single day after Christmas morning, Hoani and I would speed down our street in the trolley. All the other kids on the street would look in awe and shock as we would come down the street, tearing it up behind us. I finally make it into class, just before the bell rings. 

After my teacher takes the roll, she asks the class to sit in a circle and share what we got for Christmas. I’m sitting at the finishing end of the circle, so I have to wait even longer until I get to share. Everyone has gotten cool gifts, but I know they don’t compare to mine. I don’t even listen to the last couple of people sharing, I’m too busy coming up with what I will say. 

“Miria, what did you get for Christmas?”, My teacher asks.

“I got a racing trolley! My mum secretly made it for my brother and myself the week before Christmas, we had no idea! Every single day we went zooming down our street in the trolley. We go so fast, that everything outside the trolley is blurry! It’s so much fun to go on, we even convinced our mum to go on it too! I never thought that a gift which is handmade could be so much fun to play with!” I reply, brimming from ear to ear. 

“Wow Miria, it sounds like you had a great time these holidays!” My teacher says.

The whole class is enthralled by my story, I can’t wait to tell my brother and especially my mum about their reaction.

Thanks for reading!