Using Chemical Reactions to Reduce Waste Kit

Scientific Concepts and Processes

• Toxic waste is harmful to living organisms and must be disposed of according to strict guidelines.
• Toxic elements can be reclaimed from waste through chemical reactions.
• One property of a metal is its reactivity with other substances.
• Different metals react differently, in some cases replacing one another in solution.
• Identifying and controlling variables is essential to good experimental design.
• Making decisions about complex issues often involves trade-offs.

Students learn that wastes from many industrial processes contain toxic or valuable substances that can sometimes be reclaimed then recycled or disposed of safely. Working in groups, students reclaim copper from a liquid "waste" containing dissolved copper chloride. They measure the effectiveness of three different metal replacement reactions at removing the copper from the "waste." They then compare the effectiveness, cost, and safety information for each replacement reaction and decide which metal would be the best to use for removing the copper from the waste.

Kit Contents:

• 1 Teachers Manual with MSDS
• 28 Student Worksheets and Guides
• 13 Chemplates
• 12 Aluminum Washers
• 12 Iron Washers
• 12 Zinc Washers
• 6 15mL Drop-Controlled Bottles Waste Copper Chloride Solution
• 6 Plastic Spoons
• 1 Dropper
• 1 Transparency: Wastewater Discharge Limits