Mr. Palermo's Flipped Chemistry Classroom
  • Home
  • Parent Page
  • Chemistry Units
    • Advice from former students
    • Google Classroom
    • Course Documents
    • Unit 1: The Nature of Science
    • Unit 2: Intro to Matter
    • Unit 3: Atomics
    • Unit 4: Moles & Stoichiometry
    • Unit 5: Periodic Table
    • Unit 6: Chemical Bonding
    • Midterm Review
    • Unit 7: Heat
    • Unit 8: Gases
    • Unit 9: Solutions
    • Unit 10: Kinetics & Equilibrium
    • Unit 11: Organic Chemistry
    • Quarter 3 Exam Review
    • Unit 12: Acids and Bases
    • Unit 13: Electrochemistry
    • Unit 14: Nuclear Chemistry
    • Regents Chemistry Review
  • Calendar
  • Grades
    • Test Corrections
  • Labs
    • In Class Labs
    • Virtual Labs >
      • Virtual Lab Precision and Significant Figures
      • Virtual Lab Spectroscopy
      • Virtual Lab Spectroscopy >
        • Inquiry Flame Test
        • Unknown Flame Test
        • Inquiry Emission Spectrum
        • Unknown Emission Spectrum
      • Virtual Lab Hydrates
      • Virtual Lab Activity Series
      • Virtual Lab Conductivity
      • Virtual LeChateliers Principle
      • virtual lab: Acid Base Inquiry
      • Virtual Lab: Electrochemical Cells
      • Virtual Lab: Titration
  • Lab Minutes
  • Contact/About
  • Teacher Resources
    • Email for Teacher Resources/Support
    • Flipping the Classroom
    • LIACTS
    • Technology Corner >
      • Google classroom workflow
    • NGSS Resources
    • Youtube channel
    • Regents Chemistry Review
    • Living Environment Regents Review
    • Chem Research Group
    • Teaching Reflections

Chemistry Hack #2:  Polishing Silver

10/21/2017

0 Comments

 
If you have any objects made from silver or plated with silver, you know that the bright, shiny surface of silver gradually darkens and becomes less shiny. When silver tarnishes, it combines with sulfur and forms silver sulfide. Silver sulfide is black. When a thin coating of silver sulfide forms on the surface of silver, it darkens the silver. The silver can be returned to its former luster by removing the silver sulfide coating from the surface.  You can do this by rubbing it off (polishing) which can be tiring and you are rubbing off some silver or you can do it electrochemically which is to reverse the chemical reaction and turn silver sulfide back into silver and save some energy in the process :)

Here are the steps:  Line the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil. Set the silver object on top of the aluminum foil. Make sure the silver touches the aluminum. 
Heat the water to boiling. Remove it from the heat and place it in a sink. To the hot water, add about one cup of baking soda for each gallon of water. (If you need only half a gallon of water, use half a cup of baking soda.) The mixture will froth a bit and may spill over; this is why you put it in the sink. 
Pour the hot baking soda and water mixture into the pan, and completely cover the silver. 
Almost immediately, the tarnish will begin to disappear. If the silver is only lightly tarnished, all of the tarnish will disappear within several minutes. If the silver is badly tarnished, you may need to reheat the baking soda and water mixture, and give the silver several treatments to remove all of the tarnish.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Chemistry Hacks 

    Using chemistry to make life easier or just a little better :)

    Archives

    November 2017
    October 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

CONNECT:   
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
WWW.MRPALERMO.COM