Copy Of Copy Of Capstone Lab Report

Water Bubbles Testing Lab Report

Abstract In our experiment, we conducted two different tests that tested the durability and acidity of our water bubble. Our “water bubbles” are sphere-shaped gels that form from the reaction of Sodium Alginate and Calcium Lactate. The overall goal of this project is to create an alternative to plastic waste, and with an edible and biodegradable sphere of water, we can do just that. To test the durability we performed three tests where we changed the amount of NaAlg and C₆H₁₀CaO₆ we mixed by one gram. Our results showed that it did not affect the bubble in any way. The next experiment we ran was where we tested the acidity of the water inside the water bubble. To do so, we used ph strips to test the acidity before the water was placed into the bubble and then tested the water’s acidity after it had been in the bubble. We also performed this test with propel and our results showed that adding propel improved the taste of the bubble and increased the acidity of it . Changing the amounts of the reactants had no effect on the bubble’s performance when dropped from different heights, so its durability remained unchanged. We believe this is due to the fact that the reaction must be performed to the initial ratio specified, and that changing it just creates an excess of one reactant that isn’t used the in the reaction. In regards to the second experiment using propel, the acidity increased and the taste improved. The acidity of the bubble was not detrimental to its ability to last when left in water, and it was still within a healthy range to be consumed by a client.

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Table of Contents Title Page………………………………………………………………………………………….0 Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………1 Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………….2 1.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………3 2.1 Methods……..…………………………………………………………………….……...…...3 2.2 Experimental Plan……………………………………………………………………..3 2.3 The Process……………………………………………………………………………4 3.1 Experiment 1…………………………………………………………………………………..4 3.2 Results…………………………………………………………………………………5 3.3 Sources of Error……………………………………………………………………….5 3.4 Discussion……………………………………………………………………………..6 3.5 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….7 4.1 Experiment 2…………………………………………………………………………………..7 4.2 Results…………………………………………………………………………………8 4.3 Sources of Error……………………………………………………………………….8 4.4 Discussion……………………………………………………………………………..9 4.5 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….9 5.1 Analysis……………………………………………………………………………………….9 6.1 References…………………………………………………………………………………9-10

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1.1 Introduction A fundamental concept in physics and engineering is the ability to calculate force acting upon an object, and another important concept in chemistry is finding out the acidity of certain foods and drinks. To find the acidity of a substance, a simple ph strip test will tell you how acidic or nonacidic it is. However to find the force upon an object we use the equation : F=MxA F = force M = mass A = acceleration due to gravity 9.8m/s² In this experiment, the force equation and acidity strips will enable us to answer our ​research question​, “How can we change the aspects and design of our product to create a better product?” We​ hypothesize​ that the acidity ​will not have a detrimental effect on the bubble, but that an increased amount of calcium lactate will harden the shell.

2.1 Methods

The pictures here are the front corner, front, top, and right side views of how our experiment will look, with the water bubble finished in the bowl.

2.2 Experimental Plan 1. Aspects of design and performance a. Acidity & durability 2. Associating aspects with physical variables a. Flavor - testing with water and then testing with propel b. Durability - test different proportions of sodium alginate and calcium alginate

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2.3 The Process: Sodium alginate (NaAlg) coagulates when exposed to calcium chloride (CaCl​2​) and forms calcium alginate (CaAlg​2​) and sodium chloride (NaCl), according to the following reaction: 2NaAlg + CaCl​2​ --> CaAlg​2​ + 2NaCl. This creates a soft-shelled “bubble” that is both edible and compostable. Ingredients: 1 g sodium alginate 1 cup of water 5 g calcium lactate 4 cups propel

3.1 Experiment 1 Experiment 1: Durability Materials: ● Spoon ● whisk ● 2 bowls ● Weight scale ● Purified water ● NaAgl ● C₆H₁₀CaO₆ Procedure :

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1. Add one gram of sodium alginate to one cup of purified water in a mixing bowl. Mix until fully dissolved and let sit for 15 minutes, or until there are no bubbles. 2. Dissolve 5 grams of calcium lactate in 4 cups of purified water. 3. Take a spoon and scoop the sodium alginate solution and drop it gently into the calcium lactate solution. It should form a sphere. Repeat this until all of the sodium alginate is used up. 4. Gently stir the bubbles so that the gel can fully form, about 3 minutes (should help it form a thicker shell). 5. Use the slotted spoon to take out the bubbles and place it in another bowl of water to stop the reaction. 6. Once we have our bubbles, we will test them for durability. To test durability, we will: a. First, take the weight of each bubble we drop and record it in a data table b. Drop a bubble starting one inch from the table, and going up by one inch increments until it pops. We will then calculate the force that it took for it to pop, using the equation for force, F = mxa. c. We will make a data chart and conclude which bubble needed the most force to pop, and then use that recipe. Variability 1. In the first trial, we are going to keep everything exactly the same so it can serve as our control. 2. In the second run of the experiment, we are going to add one extra gram of sodium alginate, while keeping everything else the same and see how that affects the hardness of the shell 3. In the third run of the experiment, we are going to add one extra gram of calcium lactate, while keeping everything else the same and again observe how that changes the shell.

3.2 Results All of the varying water bubbles popped when dropped at a height of 13 cm and not at a height below that. However, each had a different mass and therefore a different force.

Data Table : Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Height dropped from that it popped at

13 cm

13 cm

13 cm

Mass

7.77 g

6.38 g

9.62 g 5

Force

76.2 N

62.6 N

94.3 N

Trial 1 - 5 g calcium lactate & 1 g sodium alginate (control) (left photo) Trial 2 - 5 g calcium lactate & 2 g sodium alginate (middle photo) Trial 3 - 6 g calcium lactate & 1 g sodium alginate (right photo) To find the force that it took to pop each bubble we used the equation : F=mxa *Since the bubble was being dropped from above, the acceleration is acceleration due to gravity which is 9.8 m/s/s

3.3 Sources of Error In this experiment, we believe that the differing masses and sizes of the bubbles affected their force. We were not precise with our tester bubbles, and that is why we got varying data. For next time, we will test up to three bubbles from each experiment and average them to ensure the same size, because we ran out of time.

3.4 Discussion The changing of amounts of chemicals did not have an effect on the force of the object, however, mass did. No matter what the ratio of calcium lactate to sodium alginate, every water bubble burst when dropped from the height of 13 cm and stayed intact when dropped from any height below 13 cm. The reason the different formulas had different amounts of force that popped them is because of their differing masses. This is because the equation used to calculate force only takes into account the mass and acceleration. However, the acceleration for each object is uniform because it is the acceleration due to gravity, which leaves the mass to be the deciding factor in the force needed to pop the bubble. Although there is a possibility that the the varying amounts had an affect on the weight of the water bubble, it is more probable that it has to do with the size of the water bubble we used to test. For our next experiment, to obtain more accurate results we will find bubbles that are similar in size from each batch to test.

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3.5 Conclusion Changing the proportion of chemicals did not have an effect on the water bubbles durability. No matter the proportions, every water bubble popped when dropped at a height of 13 cm and stayed in tact when dropped from any height below that. However, each bubble did have a different force that popped it. This is because of their differing masses and the governing equation “Force = mass x acceleration”. However since each bubble was being dropped from a point in the air, the acceleration was acceleration due to gravity which is 9.8 m/s/s. This isolates the mass to be the sole variable in how much force it will take to pop the bubble. Through our testing, we discovered we can’t make it more durable by changing the proportions as we had hoped. However, we will continue to research more about chemical reactions, and possibly another chemical we could sub out the calcium lactate or sodium alginate for that would create a thicker, more durable shell.

4.1 Experiment 2 Experiment 2: Acidity Materials : ● Spoon ● whisk ● 2 bowls ● Purified water ● Ph strips ● NaAgl ● C₆H₁₀CaO₆ Procedure : 1. First, measure the acidity of the purified water with a ph strip and pour one cup of it into a mixing bowl 2. Add one gram of sodium alginate to one cup of purified water in a mixing bowl. 3. Mix until fully dissolved and let sit for 15 minutes, or until there are no bubbles. 4. Dissolve 5 grams of calcium lactate in 4 cups of purified water in a separate bowl. 5. Take a spoon and scoop the sodium alginate solution and drop it gently into the calcium lactate solution. It should form a sphere.

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6. Stir the solution for three minutes to ensure all sides of the bubble are being exposed to the bath solution 7. Repeat this until all of the sodium alginate is used up. 8. Gently stir the bubbles so that the gel can fully form. 9. Use the slotted spoon to take out the bubbles and place it in another bowl of water to stop the reaction. 10. Then take one water bubble and pop it above a clean bowl 11. Use the ph strips to test its acidity. 12. We will repeat this process two times with water to ensure our results are accurate, and then one time through with propel to see if it affects people differently. 13. We will take one bubble from each of the the three experiments and leave them to sit out. We will compare the disintegration rate with the bubble’s pH, and see if that is a factor in how long the bubble lasts. The left photo is the bubbles after 1 week of sitting in water.

4.2 Results The ph of the liquid inside the water bubble did not change from its ph normally to after being inside the water bubble. water

propel

Ph before being in the bubble

6

4

Ph after being in the bubble

6

4

4.3 Sources of Error We believe that our pH is consistent with what it should be, because Propel is more acidic than water. In this experiment, we don’t believe that there is any sources of error. 8

4.4 Discussion During our experiment, we discovered that the calcium lactate and sodium alginate shell had no effect on the ph of the liquid inside. We took the ph of the liquid before it was inside the water bubble and after it had been sitting in the water bubble. In both tests, water and propel, we found that the ph was not affected and stayed the same. The water stayed at a healthy ph of 6 and the propel remained at a ph of 4. Testing acidity was helpful so that we knew what was in our product. If the pH was far too basic or far too acidic, it would have been vital for us to know that, and inform our customers about. We found that the acidity was within a healthy range and that modifying this was not necessary. We also found that the pH did not affect the bubbles durability over time, so when we left the bubbles in water for a week they lasted just like the regular water bubbles.

4.5 Conclusion The ph of the liquid inside the water bubble does not change due to the surrounding chemicals in its shell. Having evidence that the ph does not change once inside the water bubble ensures that the liquid, water or propel, our customers will be drinking is safe. It was also a successful experiment in the fact that we learned ___changing the ingredient of the bubble from water to propel had no detrimental effects to the overall bubble, but did, however, change the taste and look of it. The acidity of the bubble, even though it was more acidic than just pure water, had no negative effect, which leads us to conclude that propel would be the best option for our product because the taste would be better and would include vitamins and electrolytes.

5.1 Analysis We were able to conclude that pH did not affect the ability for the bubble to stay intact when leaving in sit in water. All bubbles from all three trials remained intact after the week that we let them sit in water. In regards to composition, the propel bubbles and the water bubbles had the same strength because they all popped when dropped from the same height, 13 centimeters. This was also the same for the bubbles where we added extra calcium lactate and sodium alginate to. All variable experiments produced relatively the same bubble in strength, taste, and durability.

6.1 References Ahn, Karen, and Paula Ebrahim. “How to Make Water 'Bottles' You Can Eat.” ​WonderHowTo,​ WonderHowTo, 31 Mar. 2016, food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/make-water-bottles-you-can-eat-0154909/ “Edible Water Bottle.” ​Wikipedia​, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Mar. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_water_bottle.

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“Molecule.” ​R​, ​www.moleculargastronomy.com/​. “Ooho! the Edible Water Bottle.” ​Ooho! the Edible Water Bottle,​ www.oohowater.com/.

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