Today I did a bismuth lab. Bismuth is the element with the highest atomic mass that is still stable. When melted and oxidized, it becomes crystalized and takes on a really colorful blueish purple. The color depends on how much oxygen is put on it right when it cools, the more oxygen, the more of a purple color it gets. This is my proposal showing more information on the lab I did:
Bismuth Lab Reflection:
Looking behind:
The bismuth lab I did on Thursday went very successfully and I am really proud of my final product. I did the lab twice to get the best crystals for my final product. I ended up using two crystals from each batch of bismuth that I melted. For the first batch, I didn't let it oxidize very much by covering it with a pot while it was cooling. This led it to become a more blue/gold color than my second batch. For the second batch I let it oxidize as it normally would and it turned into a deep purple/blue color. I found both ways successful but it is just a color preference. The pictures of the process and how it ended up are above, and so are the pictures of my final product: earrings.
Looking beyond:
I found it highly interesting that the amount of oxidation changes the coloring of the bismuth. The more oxygen the more purple, the less oxygen, the more blue. There are also some very odd reactions bismuth has to other substances. When Andrew was teaching me on how to make the bismuth (a practice run), there was left over zinc in the tins we used to heat the bismuth. This created an odd reaction, the bismuth didn't adopt a coloring until much later. Usually you can see the coloring while it is melting (this occurred for both of my labs), but with Andrew's it stayed a very silvery color. The odd part was that after letting it sit and just be for a day, it had a lot of coloring. Andrew had a prediction that it had to do with the zinc over powering the bismuth.
Looking inward:
I found my results from the lab very good and I was really proud of my work. My favorite batch of bismuth crystals was the second batch because I knew what color I wanted before I oxidized it and I also took the crystals out at the perfect time. I did appreciate the first batch at first, but the shapes were not as cool and unique as the latter. I was very proud of my lab, but I was also really proud of my soldering ability. However, I did need a lot of assistance with the soldering because I had never done it before. All in all, I was very proud of my lab results and the product I made is important and really nice to look at.
Looking outward:
I worked with myself on this lab and I actually really liked it. At times, I did feel a little swamped and confused but Andrew helped me out whenever I needed it. I do find working alone very lonely sometimes, but for this specific lab, there wasn't much work to divvy up and I was already having a tough time handling doing it on my own with spectators surrounding me. Overall, I think this is a pretty good solitary lab, and if I did have to redo this, I wouldn't want anyone's assistance other than Andrew's.
Looking forward:
If I were to do this again, I would look more deeply into the art of bismuth jewelry, and also try and do the soldering without any assistance. I wouldn't call this a great group project, because other than the soldering part (which Adrian and Bryan helped me with), I found it really appealing to do it on my own. I would do this lab again and I actually do foresee a future with this bismuth jewelry. I talked to Brian Delgado, co-teacher of Astronomy Club, which I am in, and he said that it would be a great idea to create a ton of bismuth jewelry for an Astronomy Club fundraiser. I really enjoyed the lab and I was all very proud of the end result. I do think I will continue to do this in the future, if allowed.
Take away:
There were a lot of small take aways from this activity, but the largest was my comprehension of the topic and also my ability to find the art in science and vice versa. I really enjoy merging art and science because our world is so beautiful and most art is based off of natural beings, plants, phenomenons, etc. The only tip I would add for anyone who wishes to do this lab is: Keep your eye on the bismuth and don't let it cool too quickly. You need to break out the crystals while it is still hot.
Overall, this was a great lab and I am very proud of my work. It was also a great starter lab for this semester.
The bismuth lab I did on Thursday went very successfully and I am really proud of my final product. I did the lab twice to get the best crystals for my final product. I ended up using two crystals from each batch of bismuth that I melted. For the first batch, I didn't let it oxidize very much by covering it with a pot while it was cooling. This led it to become a more blue/gold color than my second batch. For the second batch I let it oxidize as it normally would and it turned into a deep purple/blue color. I found both ways successful but it is just a color preference. The pictures of the process and how it ended up are above, and so are the pictures of my final product: earrings.
Looking beyond:
I found it highly interesting that the amount of oxidation changes the coloring of the bismuth. The more oxygen the more purple, the less oxygen, the more blue. There are also some very odd reactions bismuth has to other substances. When Andrew was teaching me on how to make the bismuth (a practice run), there was left over zinc in the tins we used to heat the bismuth. This created an odd reaction, the bismuth didn't adopt a coloring until much later. Usually you can see the coloring while it is melting (this occurred for both of my labs), but with Andrew's it stayed a very silvery color. The odd part was that after letting it sit and just be for a day, it had a lot of coloring. Andrew had a prediction that it had to do with the zinc over powering the bismuth.
Looking inward:
I found my results from the lab very good and I was really proud of my work. My favorite batch of bismuth crystals was the second batch because I knew what color I wanted before I oxidized it and I also took the crystals out at the perfect time. I did appreciate the first batch at first, but the shapes were not as cool and unique as the latter. I was very proud of my lab, but I was also really proud of my soldering ability. However, I did need a lot of assistance with the soldering because I had never done it before. All in all, I was very proud of my lab results and the product I made is important and really nice to look at.
Looking outward:
I worked with myself on this lab and I actually really liked it. At times, I did feel a little swamped and confused but Andrew helped me out whenever I needed it. I do find working alone very lonely sometimes, but for this specific lab, there wasn't much work to divvy up and I was already having a tough time handling doing it on my own with spectators surrounding me. Overall, I think this is a pretty good solitary lab, and if I did have to redo this, I wouldn't want anyone's assistance other than Andrew's.
Looking forward:
If I were to do this again, I would look more deeply into the art of bismuth jewelry, and also try and do the soldering without any assistance. I wouldn't call this a great group project, because other than the soldering part (which Adrian and Bryan helped me with), I found it really appealing to do it on my own. I would do this lab again and I actually do foresee a future with this bismuth jewelry. I talked to Brian Delgado, co-teacher of Astronomy Club, which I am in, and he said that it would be a great idea to create a ton of bismuth jewelry for an Astronomy Club fundraiser. I really enjoyed the lab and I was all very proud of the end result. I do think I will continue to do this in the future, if allowed.
Take away:
There were a lot of small take aways from this activity, but the largest was my comprehension of the topic and also my ability to find the art in science and vice versa. I really enjoy merging art and science because our world is so beautiful and most art is based off of natural beings, plants, phenomenons, etc. The only tip I would add for anyone who wishes to do this lab is: Keep your eye on the bismuth and don't let it cool too quickly. You need to break out the crystals while it is still hot.
Overall, this was a great lab and I am very proud of my work. It was also a great starter lab for this semester.