How can you tell the difference between endothermic and exothermic reactions? Chemistry scholars perform and observe two chemical reactions, measure the temperature throughout, then draw conclusions about changes in energy from their data. The experiment culminates when pupils develop their own definitions of exothermic and endothermic reactions.

Concepts

exothermic reactions, endothermic reactions, chemical reactions, catalysts, thermodynamics, heat energy, decomposition, hydrogen peroxide, water, enzymes

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Pass out graph paper and have groups graph the data they collect from both experiments
• Ask lab partners to research examples of chemical reactions in industry that could effectively be catalyzed using catalase

Classroom Considerations

• Substitute kiwi or potato for liver in the experiment to reduce the mess factor
• Limit group size to two or three students

Pros

• Cleanup is easy, thanks to environmentally friendly reactants and products
• The resource includes printable student procedures and data sheets

Cons

• None

Common Core

RST.9-10.3 RST.11-12.3