Preparing for the Bunsen burner

Suzie Harrison

Patricia Twitty at Thurston Middle School wants everyone in her class

to get an A on their next exam, doing so means they can graduate to

the next level and start experiencing experiments as scientists and

engaging in laboratory work designed for an eighth-grade science

class.

In Monday’s class, she went over each piece of equipment point by

point, reviewing their function and the appropriate usage, including

safety.

“The first skill is observing,� Twitty said. “From these

observations what inference can you make?�

She went over a subject in which they took turns talking about

their inferences. She then pointed out one of the ring clamps and

asked the students what inference they could make about its utility.

The class concluded that it usually holds something over a flame.

She went over the points of a modified syringe explaining that it

will be useful in their first lab when they will be studying liquids

and fluids.

The students were engaged and active in the class while she called

up individuals to demonstrate.

“Be aware of who is good at building things when you are looking

for a lab partner, because you’ll be doing it all year, building your

own equipment,� Twitty said.

One of the favorites that the students couldn’t wait to try was

the Bunsen burner.

“We’ll learn to do it within the next week,� Twitty said. “There

are two openings -- where the gas comes in, takes a turn and goes

out. You have to make a spark and set the gas on fire.�

She showed how the striker was used to start a flame and explained

that there are two ways to know if the gas is on.

“First you can hear a whooshing sound and the other thing is that

it smells,� Twitty said.

She explained that natural gas naturally doesn’t have an odor but

has been added to it for safety so people can detect its presence.

And they learned that the safest way to get molecules to the nose is

by wafting it.

When it was time to learn about safety goggles the students didn’t

find they were an attractive accessory.

“Get used to this look,� Twitty said. “It’s going to be the

eighth-grade fashion statement.

When learning about the scales students learned that forces were

called a Newton and, after giving an example of a problem, a student

deduced that there is a one-gram equivalence to every 100 Newtons.

Another measurement tool they learned about was the triple-beam

balance, which measures mass in grams.

Looking at a watch glass Twitty noted how it looked like a giant

contact lens for something like a Cyclops. The students laughed.

“You can hold it over something and look at it and watch it,�

Twitty said. “You put solutions in them, a liquid chemical mixed with

a solid, where it will be reclaimed, watch it evaporate, as it

evaporates as a gas the solid would be left behind.�

She showed an example of a huge chunk of salt that had formed in

the tide pools in Baja where the water can reach 80 degrees and forms

these solids. The students couldn’t wait to try a bit of the salt.

“I like learning about the tools and stuff and safety,� Sarah

Asaly, 13, said. “I’m looking forward to getting an “A� in this class

and learning new stuff.�

Emily Cronin, 12, said that they have been learning about the

safety for the labs and are getting ready, learning about science.

“It just seems like it’s going to be a real fun class, doing stuff

with a Bunsen burner,� Max Munoz, 13, said. “The hardest part

probably is if we have to get something right -- to get an A might be

hard.�