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silver mirror
Posted: 19 Sep 2019, 13:00
by 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,
Re: Year 12 prac
Posted: 23 Sep 2019, 09:52
by 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.
Re: Year 12 prac
Posted: 20 Nov 2019, 08:10
by 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.
Re: Year 12 prac
Posted: 20 Nov 2019, 08:16
by DavidPeterson
Milo wrote: ↑23 Sep 2019, 09:52
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'