Introduction to Gas Laws Lab

The gas laws is a fun concept with many different puzzling equations, conversions, and experiments. The variables observed in a Gas Law Lab are Volume, Temperature, Pressure, and moles. These variables have different relationships depending on the equation that you utilize.

The first experiment done required a beaker, petri dish, crucible candle, and matches. The petri dish was 3/4 full of water and food coloring to see the movement of the water easily. After the beaker is placed over the candle the water quickly sucks into the beaker, creating a vacuum. Displaying the relationship between pressure, temperature, and volume.

The second experiment required a balloon blown up small enough to fit into a 1000 mL beaker. The balloon first was placed into ice cold water for 3 minutes, the size of the balloon was compared to it’s original size. The balloon was then placed in hot water for 3 minutes, and the size of the balloon was compared to it’s original size.

This experiment provided great evidence for gas laws and the variables that make them exist. The students were engaged and fascinated by what was observed. This experiment also does not need to only be done in the classroom, this is excellent home science lab. Done for fun or to hone ideas of chemistry concepts.