Making Micro-Hindenburgs

Making Micro-Hindenburgs

Prelab Assignment: This lab is designed to introduce you to hydrogen gas and some of its
properties. Your prelab assignment is to complete the usual title, purpose, background
information, and data table (blank…read the procedure and create your own (hint: if the
procedure indicates that you are to record something in your data table create a spot for
that something)).

Introduction
The Hindenburg was the largest airship ever built. It had a record of 54 successful

flights. However, what people remember most about the Hindenburg is tragic end at Lakehurst,
New Jersey. On May 6, 1937, the hydrogen-filled Hindenburg burst into flames as the pilot was
attempting to land it. Thirty-six people were killed while horrified onlookers watched. The exact
cause of the explosion has never been determined, but the Hindenburg disaster essentially
ended wide-scale development and use of airship.

Why was the Hindenburg filled with hydrogen? Would another gas have been better? In
this lab, you will make hydrogen gas and investigate its properties so that you can answer these
questions.

CRASH OF THE HINDENBURG

At 7:25 p.m. on May 6, 1937, the German airship Hindenburg was coming in for a landing at the
naval air station at Lakehurst, after its flight across the Atlantic from Germany. (On board were
6l crew and 36 passengers.)

The Hindenburg was a thrilling sight. It was three football fields long, and it was held aloft by 7
million cubic feet of hydrogen and could fly at 84 miles an hour. It was luxurious, with a dining
salon, lounges, and staterooms.
Gigantic Nazi swastikas were painted on the tail fins.

Hundreds of people were at Lakehurst to watch it land. A radio announcer was describing how
beautiful the ship looked against the night sky.

But suddenly a tongue of flame appeared near the stern. The flame spread rapidly; within a few
seconds the zeppelin exploded in a huge ball of fire. The ship fell tail first with flames shooting
out the nose. It crashed into the ground 32 seconds after the flame was first spotted.

The radio announcer shouted: "It's burst into flames.... Get out of the way, please, oh my, this is
terrible, oh my, get out of the way, please...Oh, the humanity and all the passengers!"

Thirty-six people died in the crash. One of them was Captain Ernst Lehmann. He was led away
from the crash muttering, "I can't understand it." He died the next day.

So why did the Hindenburg explode? One theory is that it was sabotaged. That someone
planted a bomb on board to discredit the Nazi regime.

The other explanation is that it was an accident. There had been an electrical storm that night; it
is possible that the highly flammable hydrogen gas was touched off by a spark.

But in the end we don't know. Like Captain Lehmann, we still don't understand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIexQD7QYvo

Problem
What properties of hydrogen prevent its use in modern-day airships?

Materials test tube
Granulated zinc test-tube rack
Scissors Hydrochloric acid (HCI), 3.0 M
Micropipette bubble solution
One-hole rubber stopper
wooden splint

Safety
Wear goggles, gloves, and lab apron at all times during investigation. Hydrochloric acid is
corrosive. If you spill any acid immediately wash your area with plenty of cold water and notify
your teacher, Tie back loose hair and clothing when working with a flame.

Procedure
1. Put on your goggles, gloves, and lab apron
2. Obtain a micro funnel. If it has not already been done for your, insert the microfunnel
into the one-hole rubber stopper.
3. Place about 2 g of granulated zinc in the test tube. Place the test tube in the test-tube
rack. Then carefully pour 10ml of 3.0 M hydrochloric acid (HCI) into the test tube.
CAUTION: Hydrochloric acid is corrosive. Avoid spills and splashes. If you do spill the
acid, immediately rinse the area with plenty of cold water and report the spill to your
teacher. Record your observation.
4. Insert the rubber stopper with the microfunnel into the test tube so that no gas can
escape except by way of the microfunnel. With a different pipette, place 5-10 drops of
bubble solution into the microfunnel. Record your observation.
5. Light the wooden splint or a lighter. Carefully bring the flame close to the bubbles
rising from the microfunnel. Record your observations. (If generating of gas slows
or ceases, extinguish the flame. Remove the stopper and add more zinc and HCI.
Then reinsert the microfunnel and stopper, relight the splint, and test the bubbles.)
6. Disassemble the apparatus and dispose of the reaction products down the drain with
the water running. DO NOT THROW ANY REMAINING SOLIDS DOWN THE
DRAIN. Clean up you work area and wash your hands before leaving the laboratory.

Post Lab Activities:
Post Lab Analysis Questions: Answer in complete sentences!

1. What chemicals were used to produce the hydrogen gas in this lab?
2. Explain why this reaction was a chemical change.
3. Based upon your observations, what properties of hydrogen are demonstrated in this

lab?
4. What purpose does the bubble solution serve?
5. Why do you think hydrogen gas was used in the Hindenburg?
6. What other gas would have been a better choice for inflating the Hindenburg?
7. Why would it be dangerous to do this investigation on a larger scale, where a large

quantity of hydrogen is generated in a short period of time?

Use your book (Chapter 6) and other resources (the periodic table, the world wide web, etc.) to
answer these questions.

8. Give at least four properties of hydrogen.
9. Name two places where hydrogen can be found in large quantities.
10. Give three uses of hydrogen:
11. For hydrogen, write down the values and units for each of the following:

a. density
b. atomic mass
c. first ionization energy
d. electronegativity
12. a. Write the electron configuration of Hydrogen and underline the valence electrons, how
many are there?
b. When hydrogen bonds with other atoms, what will it do? Explain how you know this.

Conclusion - Write a conclusion paragraph describing what you have learned about chemical
reactions and hydrogen gas’s properties by doing this lab.

Making Micro-Hindenburgs

Procedure
1. Put on your goggles, gloves, and lab apron
2. Make a micro funnel, using the scissors to cut off the top of the plastic
micropipette. Insert the microfunnel into the one-hole rubber stopper.
3. Place about 2 g of granulated zinc in the test tube. Place the test tube in
the test-tube rack. Then carefully pour 10ml of 3.0 M hydrochloric acid
(HCI) into the test tube. Record your observations. CAUTION:
Hydrochloric acid is corrosive. Avoid spills and splashes. If you do spill
the acid, immediately rinse the area with plenty of cold water and report
the spill to your teacher.
4. Insert the rubber stopper with the microfunnel into the test tube so that no
gas can escape except by way of the microfunnel. With a micropipette
provided by your teacher, place 5-10 drops of bubble solution into the
microfunnel. Record your observation.
5. Light the wooden splint. Carefully bring the flame close to the bubbles
rising from the microfunnel. Record your observations. (If generating of
gas slows or ceases, extinguish the flame. Remove the stopper and add
more zinc and HCI. Then reinsert the microfunnel and stopper, relight the
splint, and test the bubbles.)
6. Disassemble the apparatus and dispose of the reaction products down
the drain with the water running. DO NOT THROW ANY REMAINING
SOLIDS DOWN THE DRAIN. Clean up you work area and wash your
hands before leaving the laboratory.

CRASH OF THE HINDENBURG

At 7:25 p.m. on May 6, 1937, the German airship Hindenburg was coming in for a landing at the
naval air station at Lakehurst, after its flight across the Atlantic from Germany. (On board were
6l crew and 36 passengers.)

The Hindenburg was a thrilling sight. It was three football fields long, and it was held aloft by 7
million cubic feet of hydrogen and could fly at 84 miles an hour. It was luxurious, with a dining
salon, lounges, and staterooms.
Gigantic Nazi swastikas were painted on the tail fins.

Hundreds of people were at Lakehurst to watch it land. A radio announcer was describing how
beautiful the ship looked against the night sky.

But suddenly a tongue of flame appeared near the stern. The flame spread rapidly; within a few
seconds the zeppelin exploded in a huge ball of fire. The ship fell tail first with flames shooting
out the nose. It crashed into the ground 32 seconds after the flame was first spotted.

The radio announcer shouted: "It's burst into flames.... Get out of the way, please, oh my, this is
terrible, oh my, get out of the way, please...Oh, the humanity and all the passengers!"

Thirty-six people died in the crash. One of them was Captain Ernst Lehmann. He was led away
from the crash muttering, "I can't understand it." He died the next day.

So why did the Hindenburg explode? One theory is that it was sabotaged. That someone
planted a bomb on board to discredit the Nazi regime.

The other explanation is that it was an accident. There had been an electrical storm that night; it
is possible that the highly flammable hydrogen gas was touched off by a spark.

But in the end we don't know. Like Captain Lehmann, we still don't understand.

http://njtimes.rutgers.edu/crash.htm