Alka-Seltzer Reaction Experiment: Temperature and Surface Area Effects

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  • Start date
In summary, the conversation discusses two experiments using Alka-Seltzer tablets and water in coffee cups. The first experiment involves heating and chilling the water before adding the tablets, timing the reaction, and graphing the results. The second experiment involves grinding and chopping the tablets and observing the reaction times and graphing the results. The conversation also includes questions about differences observed in the reactions, the graph patterns, and the relationship between temperature/surface area and reaction time. The person asking for help expresses a lack of understanding in chemistry and a time constraint for completing the experiments.
  • #1
chemistryhelp
3
0
Materials:

Three Alka-Seltzer tablets

Water

Three coffee cups

Ice

Thermometer

Watch with seconds


Procedure:

Chill some water with the ice.

Pour just the water into one coffee cup.

Heat some water and place it in a second coffee cup.

Put room temperature water into the third cup.
Use the thermometer to record, in a data table, the temperature of the water in each cup.

Simultaneously (get help from another person), add one full Alka-Seltzer tablet to each cup and begin timing with your watch.

Record the amount of time needed for each reaction to reach conclusion (stops fizzing).

Graph your results.


Part 2:
Materials

Three Alka-Seltzer tablets

Water

Spoon

Three coffee cups

Watch with seconds


Procedure

On a piece of paper, grind up one tablet with the back of the spoon until it is a fine powder.


On a second piece of paper, chop one tablet into several small pieces but do not grind it.


Fill the three cups with the same amount of water
Note: the water should be approximately the same temperature at the start.


Simultaneously (again, get help), add the ground tablet to one cup, the chopped tablet to a second cup, and the whole tablet to the third cup. Begin timing with your watch.


Record the amount of time needed for each reaction to reach conclusion (to stop fizzing).


Graph your results.
Note: On the Y axis = time of reaction; on X axis where you are putting "surface area exposed" use 1 = for whole tablets; 5 for small pieces; 10 for crushed.


Analysis:

What differences did you observe in the reactions in the three cups in Part I?


Look at your graph of temperature vs. reaction time. Describe this graph in mathematical terms—e.g., linear, parabolic (curved up).


As temperature increases, what happens to reaction time?


What differences did you observe in the reactions in the three cups in Part II?


Look at your graph of surface area vs. reaction time. Describe this graph in mathematical terms.


As surface area increases (smaller particles), what happens to reaction time?


Based on your data, under what conditions would you expect the reaction between baking soda and vinegar to occur most quickly?
 
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  • #2
What do you need help with?
 
  • #3
I need help with basically everything, because i don't have time to do these experiments. I take 6 ap classes and regular chemistry and i don't really understand chemistry and have no time. Please help me I am desperate.
 
  • #4
So are you asking us to do the experiment for you? I wouldn't count on that. It doesn't look too time consuming. You should at least be able to acquire the data fairly easily.
 

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