Contextualization

The world of chemistry is full of fascinating phenomena and concepts that challenge our understanding. One of these concepts is the mol x mass relationship. Although it may seem complex at first glance, it is a fundamental concept in chemistry and has direct applications in various areas, from the pharmaceutical industry to food production.

The mol is one of the seven basic units of the International System of Units (SI), and it is a concept that represents the amount of matter a compound has. The mass of a chemical compound is the sum of the atomic weights of the atoms that make up the compound. Thus, the relationship between mol and mass allows us to calculate the amount of matter of a compound we have from its mass, and vice versa.

The mol x mass relationship is widely used in calculating reactants and products in chemical reactions. To better understand, let's consider a hypothetical situation: If you were a chemist in the pharmaceutical industry and needed to produce a certain medicine, you would have to accurately calculate the amount of each reactant to obtain the desired product. This is done through understanding the mol x mass relationship!

And it doesn't stop there! The mol x mass relationship is essential in various aspects of everyday life. When you cook, for example, the transformation of ingredients into a delicious dish is, essentially, a series of chemical reactions. And the quantity of each ingredient you use is essentially the same as controlling the amount of reactants in a chemical reaction.

So, curious to unravel this world of chemistry? Let's embark on this adventure!

Suggested references:

• General Chemistry and Chemical Reactions - Volume 1
• Lesson on Mol and Molar Mass
• Article on the Concept of Mol

Practical Activity

Activity Title: "The Chemistry in the Kitchen: Mol x Mass Relationship in Practice"

Project Objective

This project aims to explore the practical and playful application of the mol x mass relationship concept, using the kitchen as a scenario. The idea is that students can understand the direct application of this concept in everyday life, specifically in cooking, while practicing teamwork and problem-solving.

Detailed Project Description

The groups, which should consist of 3 to 5 students, will be challenged to prepare a dish of their choice, but they will not use household measures (such as tablespoons, cups, etc.), but rather the quantity in mols.

For this, they must choose a recipe, list all the ingredients, and use the mol x mass concept to determine the quantity in mols of each ingredient, according to the original recipe. With this, they will be able to see how this concept is applied in practice and also understand the impact that variations in the quantity of ingredients have on the final result.

This project is of medium difficulty, with an estimated time of five to ten hours per student to complete and a deadline of one month.

Required Materials

• Ingredients for the recipe chosen by the students
• Kitchen utensils
• Precision scale
• Periodic table
• Calculator
• Camera or cell phone to document the process

Detailed Step-by-Step for Carrying Out the Activity

1. Students must form groups of 3 to 5 members.
2. Each group must choose a recipe of their preference.
3. Students must list all the ingredients of the recipe and find the molar mass of each one using the periodic table.
4. With the molar masses, students must calculate the quantity in mols of each ingredient in the original recipe.
5. Students must then weigh the ingredients in the correct quantity in mols, using the precision scale.
6. With the correct quantities, students can prepare the recipe and document the entire process with photos or videos.
7. Finally, each group must write a report on the experience, including details about the chosen recipe, the list of ingredients with their respective quantities in mols, a discussion on how the concepts of mol and mass were applied in practice, the difficulties encountered, the analysis of the results, and the conclusions.

Project Delivery

Groups must deliver:

• The written report formatted according to the guidelines already described, including:
  1. Introduction: Project contextualization, theme relevance, and project objective.
  2. Development: Detailed explanation of the project, including theory, methodology, and discussion of results.
  3. Conclusion: Recap of the main points, final considerations, and conclusions.
  4. Bibliography: Research sources used for the project.
• Photographic or video documentation of the project realization process, demonstrating the practical application of the theory and the project steps (ingredient preparation, cooking, etc.).

At the end of this project, students will have experienced the practical application of the mol x mass relationship concept in a context of their daily lives, as well as worked in a team, managed time and resources, and communicated their conclusions properly.