Students in Mrs. Valerie Free's 7th grade science class learned what it felt like to be a chemist working at an analytical laboratory Friday, Dec. 4. The students were told to pretend that a customer came in with a baggie containing an unknown powder. The customer told the students he would pay a large sum of money for the correct identification of the "mystery powder".
According to Free, to identify an unknown powder, the students would have to compare its chemical/physical behavior in combination with several liquids with the behavior of several "known" powders.
Some background provided by Free explains how the project was completed.
For some chemists and forensic scientists, the identification and analysis of unknown substances is a daily task. For instance, when a law enforcement officer discovers a suspiciously concealed white powder at a crime scene, it is the chemist’s job to ascertain whether the substance is cocaine, heroin or just plain table sugar.
Utilizing systematic methods of chemical analysis, the unknown can be correctly identified in most cases.
The students learned more than just the lesson, they were also taught that what they are learning now in the Gurdon School system will carry with them to the careers they choose.
Free is known for the many experiments that her students do every year.
“ I always try to push my students a little harder,” said Free, “it helps them realize just what they are capable of doing.”
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Students in Mrs. Valerie Free's 7th grade science class learned what it felt like to be a chemist working at an analytical laboratory Friday, Dec. 4. The students were told to pretend that a customer came in with a baggie containing an unknown powder. The customer told the students he would pay a large sum of money for the correct identification of the "mystery powder".
According to Free, to identify an unknown powder, the students would have to compare its chemical/physical behavior in combination with several liquids with the behavior of several "known" powders.
Some background provided by Free explains how the project was completed.
For some chemists and forensic scientists, the identification and analysis of unknown substances is a daily task. For instance, when a law enforcement officer discovers a suspiciously concealed white powder at a crime scene, it is the chemist’s job to ascertain whether the substance is cocaine, heroin or just plain table sugar.
Utilizing systematic methods of chemical analysis, the unknown can be correctly identified in most cases.
The students learned more than just the lesson, they were also taught that what they are learning now in the Gurdon School system will carry with them to the careers they choose.
Free is known for the many experiments that her students do every year.
“ I always try to push my students a little harder,” said Free, “it helps them realize just what they are capable of doing.”
