Scenarios and tasks
Mark went to buy cleaning products for his bathroom. In the process of deciding which products to purchase, he read the names of the various chemicals on the bottles and was surprised to find that he hadn’t heard of many of them. To better understand how these products work, he is learning more about one chemical in particular – ammonia (NH3).
You will make a chart to summarize the physical characteristics of ammonia for Mark. Since he is unfamiliar with scientific concepts, he is asking you to put together a presentation (including diagrams and images where necessary) to teach him more about this compound, culminating with a cost-benefit analysis for its use.
Task 1: Physical characteristics chart (Knowledge and Understanding)
In a table, list the physical characteristics of the elements hydrogen (H) and nitrogen (N), and the compound ammonia (NH3). Remember that this includes what they look like, their melting point, their boiling point, and their state of matter at room temperature.
Then, describe what is similar and what is different between the two elements and the compound (NH3).
Task 2: Bohr-Rutherford model of chemical bonding (Knowledge and Understanding)
Using the periodic table, draw Bohr-Rutherford Diagrams of each of the elements (one atom) before bonding. Then draw the NH3 molecule indicating all the shared electrons as either dots or crosses (as Xs), paying close attention to the valence electrons. Indicate whether the formation of ammonia is an ionic or a covalent bond and explain your reasoning.
Task 3: Using chemicals safely (Application)
Safety measures need to be taken when experimenting with compressed hydrogen (H) and nitrogen (N). Ammonia is produced by the Haber process which uses hydrogen gas from methane (CH4). What WHMIS symbols would you see on the containers of hydrogen gas, nitrogen gas and methane gas? What safety precautions would an individual need to take when handling these chemicals?
Task 4:Cost-benefit analysis (Thinking and Communication)
Use this “Public Health Statement for Ammonia,” taken from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) website, to create a cost-benefit analysis to answer the following question: Given the potential risks of ammonia, are household cleaners containing ammonia safe to use
