Year 10 Science-Where in the World is Carbon Dioxide?

Introduction
Carbon dioxide (CO
2
) provides the bubbles in your lemonade and the rise in your
bread but it is also a significant greenhouse gas. Carbon dioxide is important in
maintaining the earth's average temperature of about 15C. The CO
2
traps infrared
energy emitted from the earth's surface and warms the atmosphere. Without water
vapor, CO
2
, and methane (the three most important naturally produced greenhouse
gases), the earth's surface would be about -18C. At this temperature, it is doubtful
that complex life as we know it would ever have evolved.
Where does CO
2
come from? Plants and animals give it off when they extract energy
from their food during cellular respiration. CO
2
bubbles out of the earth in soda
springs, explodes out of volcanoes, and is released when organic matter burns (such as
during forest fires).
Anything that releases CO
2
into the atmosphere (living, dead, or non-living) is
considered a source.

Anything that absorbs and holds CO
2
from the air or water is considered a sink
(because, like a sink in your home, it acts as a "holding reservoir").
In this multiple-part activity, you will explore various sources of carbon dioxide (CO
2
)
using the chemical indicator bromothymol blue.

This experiment consists of 3 parts. Read through all 3 parts before beginning and
draw up an appropriate results table.

Materials
6 large test tubes + rack
3 deflated balloons
1 inflated balloon
1 straw
twist ties
labels
cotton wool
pump
sodium carbonate powder
acetic acid
bromothymol blue
balloon template
texta






Jasmine Graeber
Earth and Space Sciences


Part 1 How can we detect the presence of CO
2
?

Method
1. Label 6 test tubes A, B, C, D, E and Control.
2. Fill test tubes B to Control about one third full of bromothymol blue.
3. Fill test tube A about one third full of acetic acid.
4. Place 1 teaspoon sodium carbonate into the balloon.
5. Stretch the neck of the balloon over the mouth of test tube A, taking care not
to release the sodium carbonate into the acetic acid.
6. Allow the sodium carbonate to drop into the acid and collect the gas produced in
the balloon.
7. Use a twist tie to seal the balloon before taking it off the test tube.
8. Place the straw into the end of the balloon and secure it with the second twist
tie.
9. Put the other end of the straw into the bromothymol blue solution in test tube
B. Place cotton wool in the neck of the test tube around the straw.
10. Carefully release the top twist tie so that gas from the balloon is slowly
released into the solution.
11. After a minute or so, note the colour of tubes B and Control into your results
table.

Part B Where do we find carbon dioxide?

Method
1. Blow up one of the balloons to stretch out the rubber.

2. Using the pump, fill the balloon with outside air until its circumference is the
same size as the balloon template.

3. Secure the balloon with a twist tie. It is important to tie very tightly or use two
ties.

4. Label this 'Balloon C'
5. Blow up the second balloon to stretch out the rubber.

6. Blow up the balloon once more, using your breath, until its circumference is the
same size as the template.

7. Secure the balloon with a twist tie (or two).

8. Label this 'Balloon D.'
Jasmine Graeber
Earth and Space Sciences


9. Use the method in steps 8 to 10 to bubble the gases in balloons C and D through
the bromothymol blue solution in test tubes C and D.
10. Collect the inflated balloon and use the same method to bubble its contents
through the bromothymol blue solution in test tube E.
11. Note the colour of tubes C to E into your results table.


Part C Is the amount of carbon dioxide different from different places?

Method
1. Use a teat pipette to ensure that the level of liquid is approximately equal in
each of the test tubes B to Control.
2. Using the small dropper bottle, carefully add drops of ammonia to test tubes B
to B to E. Stir the solution after each drop.
3. Count the number of drops required in each case to return the solution to its
original colour as shown in the Control tube.
4. Record the results in your results table.

Discussion

Does carbon dioxide act more like vinegar or ammonia.

Write out the samples in order from the one which contained the most carbon
dioxide to the one which contained the least.

What does this activity have to do with the Greenhouse Effect? Be specific! List
at least 3 things.

Summarise what you did and what you discovered in this activity. Do not use a
steps format. Do it in your own words and use paragraphs. It should be
approximately 250 words.

Include the summary and your results table in your e portfolio.

Test tube Initial colour Final colour Observations Drops of
ammonium
hydroxide
Jasmine Graeber
Earth and Space Sciences


Test tube Initial colour Final colour Observations Drops of
ammonium
hydroxide
B Dark blue Yellow bubbles,
brown liquid
When CO2 was
added to the
Bromothymol
blue it bubbled
and changed
colour
2
C
Outside air
Dark blue Dark blue - no
colour change
Continuous bubble
flow as gas was
added to
bromothymol
3
D
Exhaled air
Dark blue Green bubbles,
dark green liquid
Continuous flow of
bubbles
6
E
Car exhaust fumes
Blue Browny, greeny
yellow
Bubbled 8
Control



This practical is designed to give an outline of where and how carbon dioxide is found.
It is evident that the car exhaust fumes contain a greater amount of carbon dioxide
as it requires more drops of ammonium hydroxide to return to the original blue colour
of bromothymol blue. It is then followed by the exhaled hair and then the outside air
which contains the least amount of carbon dioxide. CO
2
continually helps and provides
life on earth, it is passed on through plants and animals when they remove energy from
food sources, this is known as respiration. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere helps the
earth stay at an average temperature of 15
0
C as it traps the infrared heat released by
the earth and without it majority of living organisms would not exist.

Jasmine Graeber