Year 12 prac

[Purplehas]

Hi all,

Just wanted to know if doing the silver mirror experiment was a good idea with year 7s and year 9s? if so, what is the best best recipe?

Thanks in advance,

[Milo]

Hi Purple, RiskAssess labels Tollens' reagent as an 11-12 only chemical, due to it being highly corrosive to skin and eyes, not to mention the potential for explosive byproducts. I would not let year 7 or 9 run this experiment, we've only ever done it with year 11.

As for a recipe, I've tried a few but usually have trouble getting it to work. Making Tollens' is finicky and requires good quality distilled water. The recipes on this forum mentioned above are a good place to start though.

[DavidPeterson]

I'd be more worried about younger kids getting the Silver Nitrate all over the place and staining themselves, their clothes and benchtops! (Year 12s are bad enough!)
Other than being impressive as a demonstration - As a Chemist, I don't believe the concept/theory of the reaction is relevant to any year levels below year 11.

[DavidPeterson]

Hi Purple, RiskAssess labels Tollens' reagent as an 11-12 only chemical, due to it being highly corrosive to skin and eyes, not to mention the potential for explosive byproducts. I would not let year 7 or 9 run this experiment, we've only ever done it with year 11.

As for a recipe, I've tried a few but usually have trouble getting it to work. Making Tollens' is finicky and requires good quality distilled water. The recipes on this forum mentioned above are a good place to start though.

You also need to use perfectly clean or brand new glassware to get the mirror to 'stick'