Lab: Changes of State vs.

Temperature (25 points)

Objectives
After you have completed this laboratory, you will be able to:

Understand how temperature affects kinetic energy of particles of matter.

Demonstrate and understand changes of state.

Graph a heat curve.

Introduction
Changes of state occur when matter releases or absorbs energy. When a substance is heated, the kinetic
energy of the particles increases. When the change of state occurs, potential energy increases. Water is
a stable solid below 0C. At 0C, both solid and liquid particles are present. As the ice is heated above
0C, the kinetic energy of the particles increases, and the solid becomes a liquid. A heating curve can be
graphed to show the change in state with increasing or decreasing temperature.

Purpose of This Lab

The purpose of this lab is to demonstrate the phase changes of water with increasing temperature.

Questions
1. Compare the arrangement of molecules in liquid water and ice.

In ice, the molecules are tightly packed together and orderly arranged and vibrating. In
liquid water, the molecules are more loosely packed together, but they still have some
order between the particles except not as rigid as that of solid water. The molecules in a
liquid slip and slide past each other while particles in a solid are closely vibrating. In
solids, molecules tend to be tightly packed together to form a definite shape and volume.
On the other hand, liquid molecules tend to be loosely packed in order to form an
indefinite shape but definite volume.

Hypothesis
After reading the lab instructions but before starting the lab, record your best educated guess about
what will happen in the experiment. Write the hypothesis as an if-then statement. Give your reasons and
outline any assumptions that lead you to this hypothesis.

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Experiment: Changes of State vs. Temperature

In this experiment ice will be heated. Changes of state will be observed as temperature is measured at
regular intervals.

Materials

ice

small metal, kitchen pot

thermometer

stovetop/hot plate

time/stopwatch that measures minutes and seconds

oven mitt

Safety Precautions
Be safe as you work on this or any lab. Follow these steps to safely conduct the experiment:

Always use caution when working with a heat source.

Use the oven mitt while working around the stovetop/hot plate. Boiling water and steam can burn.

Use all equipment for its intended lab purpose.

Getting Started

Gather all the materials for the lab.

Measure two cups of ice into the small pot.

Procedure
1. Place the thermometer into the ice. Do not let the thermometer touch the bottom of the pot for the
entire length of the lab.
2. After two minutes, record the temperature of the ice in the Eata table at Time = 0:00.
3. Place the pot on the stovetop/hot plate and turn it on high.
4. Observe the temperature of the ice at 30 second intervals.
5. Record each time (1:00 min., 1:30 min., 2:00 min., etc.) and temperature in the Data table.
6. Record the state at each time interval in the Data table.
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Disposal and Clean Up

1. Allow the pot and stovetop/hot plate to cool before cleaning them up.
2. Pour the remaining water in the sink.
3. Clean and dry your workspace.
4. Place all materials back in their proper place.

Data
Data Table 1: Time, Temperature, and State
Time (min:sec)

Temperature (C)

0:00

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State of Matter

Analysis
Make a graph using the data table above.
1. Label the x-axis Time in minutes.
2. Label the y-axis Temperature in C.
3. Plot your points on the graph.
4. Label each area on your graph as solid, liquid, and gas.
5. At the points where a phase change occurred, label them melting point and boiling point.

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Conclusion
After conducting the experiment, how would you now explain the problem(s) or answer the question(s)?
Were you able to support your hypothesis or not? Be sure to base your answer on the data you collected.
Consider whether your conclusion is the only explanation for the data you collected or if there could be
alternate explanations.
Use these prompts to guide you in writing your conclusion.

According to your graph, explain how the physical states of water are changing.

What is happening to the particles of water at the freezing point and boiling point?

What is happening to the kinetic energy of the particles as the temperature increases?

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Additional Questions
1. As the temperature increases, the solid changes to a liquid and finally into a gas. Is the water
absorbing or releasing energy during this process?

2. When you fill an ice tray with water and place it in the freezer, is energy being released or
absorbed?

3. If your experiment does not seem to match the expected results, what did you learn from the
experience? If you were to repeat the lab so that the results were closer to what was expected,
what would you do differently?

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