Thread: School Science experiment!!! Need help

hey guys


im in year ten and for my srp (Student research Project). ive decided to see how much gas comes out of various chemicals.

what ive done is take several glass coke bottles, fill them half way with different liquids, then put a balloon over the top and wait a few hours. after that record the results (ie, if the balloons standing up straight or not). my problem is ive tried milk, wine vinegar.....on and on but i cant seem to find anything that actually does anything.

does anyone have any ideas as to what household chemicals i could use?

thanks,

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What makes you think that any gas at all comes out of these liquids? A jug of wine can sit for a year without giving off a single bubble of any gas. In general, most of your household liquids are quite stable. They simply don't emit gas of any kind.

You need to think of some exceptions. There are a few household liquids that will give you some results. See if you can come up with any yourself before anyone else jumps in with a list.

Also, there is a better way to measure evolved gas than with a balloon. Try filling your bottle with your test sample and having it stand upside-down in water! Any gas that somes out of the liquid will be trapped as a bubble on top. Then you can take a ruler and make an actual measurement.

Write back with your new thoughts.

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What makes you think that any gas at all comes out of these liquids? A jug of wine can sit for a year without giving off a single bubble of any gas. In general, most of your household liquids are quite stable. They simply don't emit gas of any kind.

ok...i think first i should explain that i know nothing about science or gases or chemistry. i simply have to do some experiment, and this particular one was on a list we were given. if i don't do anything i get an N/A award which means i basically fail year 10.

You need to think of some exceptions. There are a few household liquids that will give you some results. See if you can come up with any yourself before anyone else jumps in with a list.

im thinking soda water or something like that, perhaps i could see how much gas comes out of different brands of lemonade or somthing?

Also, there is a better way to measure evolved gas than with a balloon. Try filling your bottle with your test sample and having it stand upside-down in water! Any gas that somes out of the liquid will be trapped as a bubble on top. Then you can take a ruler and make an actual measurement.

that is a really good idea, ill try that

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Soda is a great idea! Start with a chilled bottle of Coke, Pepsi, etc. Open it, top up with chilled water to eliminate any bubbles, and stand it upside down in water. Let the experiment go 24 hours or so taking measurements of the bubble size every few hours.

Use another liquid as a control. That means you are not expecting it to evolve any gas. None, zero. A control is important to every scientific experiment.

After you report your first results here, folks will suggest other liquids that would be suitable for your project. That is, there are other liquids that might evolve gas upon standing around.

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thanks steve, ill do the experiment tomorrow (hopefully).

Try mixing baking powder with various liquids (water, lemon juice, etc.). You'll have fun, trust me.

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Hold everything! I found your experiment, right here on YouTube. Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4dbF...eature=related

The kid should have mentioned at the beginning that she added yeast to each sample because that's what really makes things work. So, waddya think? Is this for you?

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Very nice! But baking powder is much faster. Although, the gas is the same. :-D

thanks guys, i think ill do what theyre doing in the video.

which is basically taking different fruit juices, adding yeast and baking powder, then watching, right?