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Plop, Plop, Fizz Fast - The Effect of Temperature On Reaction Time - Science Project
Plop, Plop, Fizz Fast - The Effect of Temperature On Reaction Time - Science Project
Plop, Plop, Fizz Fast - The Effect of Temperature On Reaction Time - Science Project
Time
Chemistry (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/chemistry)
Areas of Science
Science With Your Smartphone (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/science-with-your-smartphone)
Difficulty
Prerequisites None
Safety Adult supervision may be needed when working with hot water solutions.
Abstract
Alka-Seltzer® tablets fizzle furiously when dropped into water. The moment the tablet starts dissolving, a chemical reaction occurs that releases carbon dioxide gas. In this science
project, you can even measure how long and loudly your tablet fizzes using Google's Science Journal (https://goo.gl/wst48K) app. Do you think you can make Alka-Seltzer fizz faster or more
loudly by changing the temperature of the water? How big of a difference in the rate of a chemical reaction can temperature make?
Objective
To measure the effect of temperature on the rate of a chemical reaction.
Credits
Andrew Olson, PhD, Science Buddies
Edited by Svenja Lohner, PhD, Science Buddies
Sources
Bayer HealthCare, LLC. (2005.). Experiment 1: The Effects of Temperature on Rate (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/error/external-page-missing?
url=http%3a%2f%2falkaseltzer.com%2fas%2fstudent_experiment1.html&ref=%2fscience-fair-projects%2fproject-ideas%2fChem_p027%2fchemistry%2falka-seltzer-effect-of-temperature-on-reaction-time). Retrieved July 3, 2013.
Swanson, G.C. (n.d.). Chemistry Experiments for the Home: Bubble Rate. Science Department, Daytona Beach Community College
MLA Style
Science Buddies Staff. "Plop, Plop, Fizz Fast: The Effect of Temperature on Reaction Time." Science Buddies, 20 Nov. 2020, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-
projects/project-ideas/Chem_p027/chemistry/alka-seltzer-effect-of-temperature-on-reaction-time. Accessed 11 Mar. 2021.
APA Style
Science Buddies Staff. (2020, November 20). Plop, Plop, Fizz Fast: The Effect of Temperature on Reaction Time. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-
projects/project-ideas/Chem_p027/chemistry/alka-seltzer-effect-of-temperature-on-reaction-time
Introduction
You may have seen a television commercial for Alka-Seltzer tablets, or heard one of their advertising slogans: "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is!®" When you drop the tablets in
water, they make a lot of bubbles, like an extra-fizzy soda, as shown in Figure 1 below. And like a soda, the bubbles are carbon dioxide gas (CO2). However, with Alka-Seltzer, the CO2
is produced by a chemical reaction that occurs when the tablets dissolve in water.
Figure 1. When an Alka-Seltzer tablet comes in contact with water, the tablet makes carbon dioxide gas through a chemical reaction
(Image credit: by Ebarella_R, via Flickr).
Alka-Seltzer is a medical drug that works as a pain reliever and an antacid (antacids help neutralize stomach acidity, such as heartburn). The pain reliever used is aspirin and the
antacid used is baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3). To take the tablets, they should be fully dissolved in a glass of water. When sodium bicarbonate dissolves in water, it
dissociates (splits apart) into sodium (Na+) and bicarbonate (HCO3-) ions. (An ion is a molecule that has a charge, either positive or negative.) The bicarbonate reacts with hydrogen
ions (H+) from citric acid (another ingredient in the tablets) to form carbon dioxide gas and water. In other words, carbon dioxide gas is a product of this reaction. The reaction is
described by Equation 1 below:
Equation 1.
So how is temperature related to this bicarbonate reaction? In order for the reaction shown above to occur, the bicarbonate ions have to come into contact with the hydrogen ions.
Molecules in a solution are in constant motion, and are constantly colliding with one another. The hydrogen and bicarbonate ions must collide at the right angle and with enough energy
for the reaction to occur. The temperature of a solution is a measure of the average motion (kinetic energy) of the molecules in the solution. The higher the temperature, the faster the
molecules are moving. What effect do you think temperature will have on the speed, or rate, of the bicarbonate reaction? In this chemistry science project you will find out for yourself
by plopping Alka-Seltzer tablets into water at different temperatures, and measuring how long it takes for the chemical reaction to go to completion. In addition, you can record the
sound of the Alka-Seltzer fizzle. Do you think it will fizz more loudly in hot or cold water?
Questions
What is the bicarbonate reaction? What are its products?
Keeping in mind that an increase in temperature reflects an increase in the average molecular motion, how do you think increasing temperature will affect the reaction rate?
What temperature change do you think would be required to increase, or decrease, the reaction time by a factor of 2?
What other factors beside temperature can affect how well a chemical reaction takes place?
Bibliography
Bayer HealthCare. (2005). Experiment 1: The Effects of Temperature on Rate (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/error/external-page-missing?
url=http%3a%2f%2falkaseltzer.com%2fas%2fstudent_experiment1.html&ref=%2fscience-fair-projects%2fproject-ideas%2fChem_p027%2fchemistry%2falka-seltzer-effect-of-temperature-on-reaction-time). Retrieved May 8, 2007.
Brown, W.P. (2007). GCSE Notes on the Rates of Chemical Reaction (http://www.docbrown.info/page03/3_31rates.htm) s. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
Clark, J. (2002). Understanding Chemistry: Rates of Reaction Menu (http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/basicratesmenu.html). Retrieved May 11, 2007.
Helmenstine, A.M. (2007). Understanding Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions (https://www.thoughtco.com/endothermic-and-exothermic-reactions-602105). Retrieved July 14, 2020.
Rader's Chem4Kids.com. (n.d.). Chemical Reactions (http://www.chem4kids.com/files/react_intro.html). Retrieved July 14, 2020.
20%26linkCode%3das2%26camp%3d1789%26creative%3d390957%26creativeASIN%3dB004O6NF6W&ref=%2fscience-fair-projects%2fproject-ideas%2fChem_p027%2fchemistry%2falka-seltzer-effect-of-temperature-on-reaction-time).
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Experimental Procedure
Note: In this science project, you will investigate how water temperature affects the dissolving time of an Alka-Seltzer tablet. You will use the Science Journal (https://goo.gl/wst48K) app to
record the fizzing sound of the Alka-Seltzer reaction in water and measure the time it takes for one Alka-Seltzer tablet to react completely in water. The app creates a graph that will not
only give you information about the reaction time, but will also allow you to assess how loud each reaction was based on the measured sound intensities. If you do not have a phone,
you can observe the reaction and use a stopwatch to time how long it takes for each tablet to dissolve.
1. Do your background research and make sure that you are familiar with the terms and concepts in the Background (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-
ideas/Chem_p027/chemistry/alka-seltzer-effect-of-temperature-on-reaction-time).
2. In your lab notebook, make a data table like Table 1. You will record your results in this data table.
Ice Water
Table 1. In your lab notebook, make a data table like this one. You will record your results in it.
3. Prepare a drinking glass so that it is marked at the 200 mL point. You will use the same glass for multiple trials, so it is convenient to mark the desired water level. Note: If your
glass fits more than 8 oz, make a mark about 1 inch below the rim.
a. Add 200 mL (a little less than 1 cup) of water to the drinking glass, or fill it up to about 1 inch below the rim.
b. Use a piece of masking tape on the outside of the glass to mark the water level, placing the tape with its top edge even with the water level in the glass, as shown in
Figure 2.
c. Note: You do not want to fill the glass completely full because the bicarbonate reaction produces bubbles that could splash out.
Figure 2. Mark your glass on the outside with masking tape to indicate a water level up to about 1 inch below the rim.
4. You will fill the drinking glass with the same volume of water at three different temperatures: hot tap water, cold tap water, and ice water.
a. For the hot and cold tap water, run the water until the temperature stabilizes. Fill the glass with water to the level of the masking tape. Be careful when handling the hot
water.
b. For ice water, fill the glass about half full with ice cubes, then add cold tap water to a bit above the level of the masking tape. Stir for a minute or two so that the
temperature equilibrates. Once temperature has equilibrated, remove the ice cubes from the water's surface using a spoon or other utensil immediately before adding the
Alka-Seltzer tablet. (Pour out any extra water so that the water is up to the level of the masking tape.)
5. Prepare the drinking glass with one of the three temperatures as described in step 4. Then measure the reaction time for that temperature either by following option 1 (Science
Journal app), described in step 6, or option 2 (stopwatch), described in step 7.
Figure 3. Place your phone on top of the glass filled with water so that the microphone (or sound sensor) is located right at the center above the solution.
f. Take one whole Alka-Seltzer tablet out of its package and hold it above the glass filled with water. In the app, start a new recording for your first experiment and press the
record button. Make sure to label your recording appropriately such as "hot water," "cold water," or "ice water." You can also rename your recording afterwards.
g. Once the recording starts, drop the tablet into the water. Note: You have to be very quiet during the experiment. Any sound that you make will be recorded and could
affect your data. Try to be as quiet as possible while you are recording your data!
h. You will immediately see and hear bubbles of CO2 streaming out from the tablet.
i. The tablet will gradually disintegrate. Observe the graph recorded by the app, and how the sound meter is responding to the fizzling while all of the solid white material
from the tablet disappears.
j. When the solid material has completely disappeared, and you see on the graph that the sound intensity has reached background levels again or does not change
anymore, wait 20 more seconds until all the bubbles have stopped forming, and stop recording your data.
k. Your data should look something like the graph in Figure 4. Your graph should show an increased sound intensity for as long as the Alka-Seltzer reaction took place. You
can ignore the spiky part at the beginning and end of the graph (this occurs when you tap the phone). The sound level of the reaction might be louder in the beginning
and decrease as the tablet gets smaller.
l. Drag the cursor along the graph to measure the time between the beginning of your reaction (when you dropped the tablet, and the sound intensity started to increase)
and the end of the reaction (when the sound intensity reached background levels again or does not change significantly anymore). For example, the reaction in Figure 4
started at 2.9 seconds and ended at about 55.0 seconds.
Figure 4. This example data from the Science Journal app demonstrates how to measure the reaction time of the Alka-Seltzer tablet dissolving. The x-axes of the graphs
are time in minutes:seconds [min:s] and the y-axes shows sound intensity in decibels [dB].
m. Calculate the difference between these two points. In Figure 4 this would be 55.0 s - 2.9 s, which is 52.1 s. The result is the reaction time for your first trial. Record the
reaction time (in seconds [s]) in the data table in your lab notebook.
n. Tip: Be careful when opening the packets and handling the Alka-Seltzer tablets. The tablets are thin and brittle, so they break easily. If some of the tablets are whole, and
some are broken into many pieces, the separate trials will not be a fair test. You should only use whole tablets.
13. If you chose to use the Science Journal app to record your data, look at the graphs for each water temperature again. Write down the maximum sound intensity that you
observed during the Alka-Seltzer reaction (not including the initial or end peaks) for each trial. You can get the number by dragging the cursor to the timepoint at which the sound
intensity is highest. In the example shown in Figure 4, this would be around 36 seconds with a sound intensity of about 40 decibels. Calculate the average for each of the three
water temperatures and record your results in the data table in your lab notebook.
14. Make a graph of the average maximum sound intensity, in decibels (on the y-axis), vs. water temperature, in degree Celsius (on the x-axis).
15. Which reaction was the loudest? Did you expect these results?
If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers:
Chemist (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-engineering-careers/earth-physical-sciences/chemist)
Career Profile
(http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- Everything in the environment, whether naturally occurring or of human design, is composed of chemicals.
engineering-careers/earth-physical- Chemists search for and use new knowledge about chemicals to develop new processes or products. Read more
sciences/chemist) (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-engineering-careers/earth-physical-sciences/chemist)
Pharmacist (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-engineering-careers/health/pharmacist)
Career Profile
(http://www.sciencebuddies.org/scie Pharmacists are the medication experts. They advise doctors, nurses, and patients on the correct drug dosage for a
nce-engineering- patient's weight, age, health, and gender; on interactions between drugs; on side effects; on drug alternatives; on costs;
careers/health/pharmacist) and on ways to give drugs. They also dispense drugs at pharmacies, according to prescriptions, checking for dangerous
drug interactions, and educating patients on how to take drugs, what reactions to watch out for, and how long it should take
for drugs to work. Read more (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-engineering-careers/health/pharmacist)
Variations
More advanced students should also calculate the standard deviation (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science-fair/variance-and-standard-deviation) of the reaction times for each
temperature.
Use the standard deviation to add error bars to your graph.
For example, say that the average reaction time for one temperature was 45 seconds, and the standard deviation was 5.2 seconds (these are made-up numbers). You
would graph the symbol for the data point at 45 seconds, and then draw short vertical bars above and below the symbol. Each vertical bar would have a length equivalent
to 5.2 seconds.
Error bars give your audience a measure of the variance (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science-fair/variance-and-standard-deviation) in your data.
Adult supervision required. Is reaction rate predictable over a larger temperature range? Water remains liquid above 0°C and below 100°C. Repeat the experiment at one or
more additional high temperatures to find out. Use Pyrex glass for containing water heated on the stove or in the microwave, and use appropriate care (e.g. wear hot mitts and
safety goggles) when handling hot water. A standard candy thermometer should be able to measure the temperatures in this higher range.
You could turn the bicarbonate reaction into a home-made lava lamp. To do this, you will want to use a tall jar or empty clear plastic 1-liter or 2-liter bottle, fill it with 2 to 5
centimeters (cm) of water, add 5 drops of food coloring, and then fill it at least three-quarters full with vegetable oil. You could repeat the science project using your home-made
lava lamp at a cold and a hot temperature. To do this, you will need to figure out a way to make the prepared bottle hot or cold. (For example, to make it hot you could let it sit in
a large bowl of hot water, and to make it cold you could store it in a refrigerator or freezer.) You will also want to use one-quarter of an Alka-Seltzer tablet at a time (instead of a
whole tablet). How does the bicarbonate reaction look and function in the home-made lava lamp?
In this science project you observed the reaction mixture and watched as the tablets disappeared and formed gas bubbles. For more advanced versions of this experiment, you
can build a simple apparatus so that you can measure the volume of the gas produced over time. Because you will be able to collect data at multiple time points, you get
information about how the reaction rate changes over time. For more advanced versions of measuring the reaction rate like this, see these Science Buddies projects:
How Fast Does an Alka-Seltzer Tablet Make Gas? (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Chem_p026/chemistry/how-fast-does-an-alka-seltzer-tablet-make-gas)
Can You Change the Rate of a Chemical Reaction by Changing the Particle Size of the Reactants? (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Chem_p030/chemistry/reactant-
size-changes-chemical-reaction-rate).
Does changing the particle size of the reactants have as big an effect on reaction time as changing the temperature of the water does? For a science project that investigates
the effect of particle size on the speed of the reaction, see the Science Buddies project Big Pieces or Small Pieces: Which React Faster? (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-
projects/project-ideas/Chem_p028/chemistry/big-pieces-or-small-pieces-which-react-faster)
Ask an Expert
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specific questions about your science fair project or science fair, our team of volunteer scientists can help. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer
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Related Links
Science Fair Project Guide (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_guide_index.shtml)
Other Ideas Like This (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/search?v=solt&pi=Chem_p027)
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My Favorites (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/account/favorites)
Chemistry Safety Guide (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/references/chemistry-safety)
Visualizing Molecules in Three Dimensions (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/references/visualizing-molecules-in-three-dimensions)
React Fast: How Size Determines Rate (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/news/article?id=210086), Scientific American, April 28, 2016
Exploring Sound Intensity with the Science Journal App (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/news/article?id=396075), Science Buddies Blog, March 28, 2018
Try Google's Science Journal App with Six Activities for Chemistry Exploration (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/news/article?id=445465), Science Buddies Blog,
September 5, 2018
Note: A computerized matching algorithm suggests the above articles. It's not as smart as you are, and it may occasionally give humorous, ridiculous, or even annoying results! Learn
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