Welcome to "A Submarine Adventure" the first "wet lab" of the semester (No pun intended). A "wet lab" in chemistry is simply a lab involving the use of liquid chemicals and although this lab will only expose you to water, you should realise by this point that water is indeed a chemical and a very important one at that. The purpose of this lab however is not to focus on water, but rather to use water to illustrate a very basic physical concept, density. Density is calculated as the mass of an object divided by its volume (d = m/V). Density is an intensive property, meaning that it is a property that is the same no matter how much of a substance is present. Density is an important concept because it allows us to determine what substances will float and what substances will sink when placed in a liquid. Generally, substances float so long as their density is less than the density of the liquid they are placed in. This is why even small rocks sink while wooden objects, even large logs, float.

As we have discovered more about the concept of density, we (the science community) have learned to harness this knowledge for our own use. One of the most readily recognized uses of the concept of density is the modern invention: the submarine. Steel is certainly more dense than water. One could ask the question how a submarine that weighs several tons would be able to float. A submarine takes advantage of air space found within it. The ship's total density is less than water; therefore, it will remain afloat. The captain of the sub opens the hull to allow water in and causes the sub to submerge into the water. Once the water is released (or pumped out), the submarine comes back to the surface.This a called a ballast system.

The purpose of this lab is to give you a chance to design and build your own submarine and in doing so learn some other very basic techniques that you will see again and again in the weeks to come. These techiniques are the use of the analytical balance to weigh objects and the measurement of a liquid in a graduated cylinder or other volumetric glassware.

Since a majority of the chemistry you will be completing in the lab is aqueous in nature, you will be measuring the volume of liquids almost every lab. As with any process in science there is a correct way to go about the measurement. Please pay close attention to your TA's demonstration of the proper way to fill and read your graduated cylinder. The other technique you will learn in this lab is the proper way to weigh an object. The analytical balance is a vital tool you will use to measure everything from solid reagents you will use to make solutions to products you have produced via chemical reaction. An accurate weight is vital to both the production and to the interpretation of the success of an experiment. Your TA will demonstrate in lab the proper use of the analytical balances we have in our labs. You can get a head start on learning the process by watching the short film availlable here.