Students learning about chemical science had some fun with dry ice last week.
Science teacher Frank Slee’s Year 7 classes put their knowledge of states of matter and atmospheric gases to the test when they used dry ice in a number of activities involving containers and balloons to observe what happens when dry ice sublimes directly to carbon dioxide gas.
They also discovered what happened when dry ice was mixed with hot water, detergent and universal indicator.
“The experiments were a great way to apply what we have been learning in class about the action of particles in matter and for students to see practical examples of changes of states of matter,” Mr Slee said.
“This also allows students to understand more about their environment and, on a small scale, the effects of global warming by observing how carbon dioxide chemically reacts with water to form an acid.
“Dry ice always creates some great visual effects and the students got a real kick out of it.”
