Chemical Dominoes Project
In the chemical dominoes project, groups were tasked with creating a board game that implemented several chemical reactions. My group created an internet meme themed game, called "Race to Meme Mountain". It involves players rolling the dice to determine how far they move, drawing cards and activating reactions as they go. Each corner has its own separate reaction. To create it, we began by brainstorming different ideas, then painted the board and cut out the remaining parts from cardboard. Later on, we used some scrap wood and hot glue to create a slope for our meme barrel to roll down at the end.
The first reaction we used was a single displacement reaction. Aluminum and Copper (II) Chloride reacted to form Copper and Aluminum Chloride, creating a rust-like copper layer on the aluminum. The second reaction we used was a double displacement reaction. Potassium Chromate and Copper Nitrate swapped ions to form Potassium Nitrate and Copper Chromate. This resulted in a brown precipitate forming outside of the solution. The third reaction produced our gas. Using Acetic Acid and Sodium Bicarbonate, we produced Sodium Acetate, Water, and Carbon Dioxide. The final reaction consisted of both our physical change and LED lighting. The meme barrel is rolled down the slope, hitting a button to complete a circuit, lighting up our LED.
One thing we did really well on this project was coming up with ideas. We had many original themes to choose from, so much so that it almost became an issue on if we would complete the project rather than when we would complete it. Another strength of our group during this project was rapid prototyping. We were able to take our many ideas and test them out before finalizing them, which helped us keep a good pace with completing the project. One thing we could have improved upon was cleanliness. The final product was less than beautiful, with jagged cuts in the cardboard and poorly painted squares. Another area of improvement was in actually digging into the content. We waited until pretty much the last minute to get our reactions selected and tested for the project, which really cut close to the due date. Luckily, we were on time, but it was a close call.
The first reaction we used was a single displacement reaction. Aluminum and Copper (II) Chloride reacted to form Copper and Aluminum Chloride, creating a rust-like copper layer on the aluminum. The second reaction we used was a double displacement reaction. Potassium Chromate and Copper Nitrate swapped ions to form Potassium Nitrate and Copper Chromate. This resulted in a brown precipitate forming outside of the solution. The third reaction produced our gas. Using Acetic Acid and Sodium Bicarbonate, we produced Sodium Acetate, Water, and Carbon Dioxide. The final reaction consisted of both our physical change and LED lighting. The meme barrel is rolled down the slope, hitting a button to complete a circuit, lighting up our LED.
One thing we did really well on this project was coming up with ideas. We had many original themes to choose from, so much so that it almost became an issue on if we would complete the project rather than when we would complete it. Another strength of our group during this project was rapid prototyping. We were able to take our many ideas and test them out before finalizing them, which helped us keep a good pace with completing the project. One thing we could have improved upon was cleanliness. The final product was less than beautiful, with jagged cuts in the cardboard and poorly painted squares. Another area of improvement was in actually digging into the content. We waited until pretty much the last minute to get our reactions selected and tested for the project, which really cut close to the due date. Luckily, we were on time, but it was a close call.