The Project:
With our new STEM Building under construction we really needed some art for it. So we were given the assignment to use the POWER OF CHEMISTRY to create art. And since all chemists are artists we were instructed to give our pieces both a theme and an explainable chemistry concept. My group of Daniel, Chris and Cooper made pigments that were in turn used to make paints for artwork.
THE Process:
We used basic double replacement reactions to create pigments. We used solutions that when mixed would cause a double displacement reaction that made a precipitate we could filter out and use as a pigment. My paint specifically used a pigment made from mixing aqueous sodium phosphate and aqueous cobalt chloride leaving behind cobalt phosphate (Pigment) and sodium chloride.
THE PRODuCT
This is the resulting mixture of cobalt phosphate and paint base that I create., The official name of this color is cobalt violet, but i used to much base so I just called it lavender .
This is the painting I did, I used all four of the pigments our group created to make an abstract take on our theme (The Ocean). My lavender paint should have looked much better but much of it was rubbed off due to a mistake on Chris Griggy's end.
Here is the placard I created for the art. It includes the equation for my reaction.
Here is the four paintings our group completed. They all follow the shared theme of ocean. You can also tell that my paint was much more effective on the non-incidental canvases.
the postulations
Chemical Reaction - A reaction in which the molecular or ionic structure of a substance is rearranged.
Reactant - A substance that undergoes a transformation in a reaction. The sodium phosphate and the cobalt chloride were both reactants.
Product - A substance formed as a result of a chemical reaction. The cobalt phosphate and sodium chloride were both products.
Synthesis Reaction - A chemical reaction in which at least two reactants are combined into one substance. Ex: A + B -> AB
Decomposition Reaction - A chemical reaction in which a reactant is broken up into multiple products. Ex: AB -> A + B
Single Replacement Reaction - A chemical reaction in which an element replaces another in a compound. Ex: A + BC -> B + AC
Double Replacement Reaction - A chemical reaction in which two compounds swap anions(negatively charged ions of elements). This is the reaction we used to create our cobalt phosphate pigment. (CoCl2 + Na3(PO4) -> Co(PO4) + Na3Cl2)
Combustion - A chemical reaction in which a hydrocarbon and oxygen react with heat and produce water vapor and carbon dioxide.
Solution - A mixture composed of more than one substance.
Solvent - The substance of a solution that exists in a greater amount than the other(s).
Precipitate - A solid substance present in a solution. Our reaction produced a solvent (the pigment) that we filtered out to use.
Aqueous - A solution in which water is the solvent. (a substance that is dissolved in water) Its notation is: (aq).
Reactant - A substance that undergoes a transformation in a reaction. The sodium phosphate and the cobalt chloride were both reactants.
Product - A substance formed as a result of a chemical reaction. The cobalt phosphate and sodium chloride were both products.
Synthesis Reaction - A chemical reaction in which at least two reactants are combined into one substance. Ex: A + B -> AB
Decomposition Reaction - A chemical reaction in which a reactant is broken up into multiple products. Ex: AB -> A + B
Single Replacement Reaction - A chemical reaction in which an element replaces another in a compound. Ex: A + BC -> B + AC
Double Replacement Reaction - A chemical reaction in which two compounds swap anions(negatively charged ions of elements). This is the reaction we used to create our cobalt phosphate pigment. (CoCl2 + Na3(PO4) -> Co(PO4) + Na3Cl2)
Combustion - A chemical reaction in which a hydrocarbon and oxygen react with heat and produce water vapor and carbon dioxide.
Solution - A mixture composed of more than one substance.
Solvent - The substance of a solution that exists in a greater amount than the other(s).
Precipitate - A solid substance present in a solution. Our reaction produced a solvent (the pigment) that we filtered out to use.
Aqueous - A solution in which water is the solvent. (a substance that is dissolved in water) Its notation is: (aq).
The Pondering
This project went well. My group worked together really well and I was able to fully grasp the chemistry concepts. Our paints turned out pretty well also, they didn't stick that well to the canvas and looked very faded. This though is definitely the fault of the paint base and not the pigments that we created. I think it would have been much better to have used white paint rather than paint base to mix with our pigments. I actually missed much of this project due to sickness so when I arrived back, it was mostly done so all I had to do was make my pigment and none of the prep-work and chemistry beforehand.
I think our group was wonderful, a true power team one could say. so we definitely nailed the Collaboration aspect of the project. When I returned I was quickly explained the plan and was able to get right back to work due to our stellar Collaboration. I think this also shows that this group excelled in both Communication and Critical thinking. We always were able to talk to each other and overcome the issues we ran into along the way. I would say our weakest aspect was Creativity. We just did the basic job of making paint as we couldn't think of any other chemistry art ideas. We also chose our theme as the ocean solely because two group members made blue paint. I'm not really sure is we displayed any Cultural Competence or Character in this project so i'd say we need to work on those aswell.
I think our group was wonderful, a true power team one could say. so we definitely nailed the Collaboration aspect of the project. When I returned I was quickly explained the plan and was able to get right back to work due to our stellar Collaboration. I think this also shows that this group excelled in both Communication and Critical thinking. We always were able to talk to each other and overcome the issues we ran into along the way. I would say our weakest aspect was Creativity. We just did the basic job of making paint as we couldn't think of any other chemistry art ideas. We also chose our theme as the ocean solely because two group members made blue paint. I'm not really sure is we displayed any Cultural Competence or Character in this project so i'd say we need to work on those aswell.