Tag Archives: water

Winter Wonderland

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Here in Texas, we rarely get snow.

Instead, we can create a winter wonderland–indoors or out–with fake snow!

Science projects with fake snow

  • Create a sensory bin
  • Illustrate the difference between a physical and chemical reaction: after showing your student how the snow absorbs water, let the water evaporate for a few days. The snow powder is the same stuff you started with.
  • Teach the concept of Conservation of Mass. Weigh the snow before adding water. Add water, then let it evaporate. Weigh the snow powder again. It is the same.
  • Demonstrate the concept of absorption

Decorating with fake snow

Fake snow options

Heath Scientific provides two types of fake snow: Magic Snow and Super Snow. Both are a highly absorbent polymer that create realistic-looking snow when you add water.

Super snow also makes a great stocking stuffer!

The Effects of Temperature on Water Absorption in Warblettes

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In this experiment, we are going to determine the effect of temperature on water absorption in warblettes.

To complete this experiment, you will need the following:

Procedure

1. Create an ice bath by placing a mixture of water and ice in the 500 ml beaker. Fill approximately 1/2 full.

2. Using a graduated cylinder, pour 50 ml of water into one of the 250 ml beakers. Place the beaker in the ice bath. This will keep the water cold during the experiment. For the purpose of this experiment, it will not be necessary to measure the actual temperature of the water. Our main goal is to compare cold and warm temperatures in general. The water will drop to between 5 and 10 degrees celsius.

3. Using a 50 ml cylinder, add 50 ml of hot tap water to the second 250 ml beaker. The water temperature will be approximately 40 degrees C and will continually cool during the experiment.

4. Add 40 Warblettes to each of the 250 ml beakers. Allow the Warblettes to absorb water for 20 minutes.

5. Take one beaker and pour the remaining water into the graduated cylinder. Measure this amount and subtract from the original 50 ml. This calculation will give you the amount of water absorbed by the Warblettes. Repeat this step for the second beaker.

Result

The warmer temperature water will promote faster growth of the polymer. Compare this to real life applications like:

  • Coffee, tea, sugar, and other solids dissolve faster in hot water.
  • Most bacteria grow best at warmer temperatures (close to human body temperature).
  • Ice on a contusion reduces bruising by slowing blood flow.

Warblettes can be used in many experiments and create interest and excitement while reinforcing scientific principles.

 

Hydrolysis – The Splitting of Water

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See the Oxygen molecules bubble and the indicator turn pink

See the Oxygen molecules bubble and the indicator turn pink

Hydrolysis Water Splitting

Using a 9V battery, 2 electrodes and small gauge wire, you can split water into its component parts. This process is called hydrolysis. We add a small amount of salt to increase the conductivity of the water and an acid/base indicator to visualize the reaction.

The chemical formula of water is H2O. When the electrical current, produced by the battery, passes through the water, the water will split and the two electrodes will bubble. Hydrogen will appear at the cathode and the oxygen at the anode. The acid base indicator around the cathode will turn blue (because the free OH molecules raise the pH) and the area around the anode will turn pink (because the free hydrogen molecules lower the pH).

Looking at the formula for water, there are twice as many hydrogen atoms as oxygen. When hydrolysis occurs, twice as many hydrogen bubbles will be released as oxygen. You can visually see extra bubbles at the point where hydrogen is being released.

Hydrolysis experiments can be quantitative (how much hydrogen and oxygen are released?) or qualitative (can I visually see the reaction taking place?)