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Project Summary
| Difficulty | 3 |
| Time required | Short (several days) |
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Sponsor
| Sponsored by a generous grant from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation |
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| * Note: This is an abbreviated project idea, without notes to start your background research or a procedure for how to do the experiment. You can identify abbreviated project ideas by the asterisk at the end of the title. If you want a project idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk. |
Abstract
Here's a chemistry project for a beginning scientist. You'll need two 100 ml graduated cylinders, rubbing alcohol, water and liquid food dye. (You can make your own measuring cylinder from a recycled jar: tape a vertical label on the jar and carefully add water 1/4-cup at a time; mark the level on the label with each addition.) Measure 50 ml of water. Add a drop or two of food coloring and mix. In the second cylinder, measure 50 ml of rubbing alcohol. Carefully pour this into the cylinder containing the colored water. What is the total volume? To find out what's going on, do some background research on "alcohol water solutions" (yes, sometimes liquids can dissolve in other liquids). Find out more about solutions of liquids, for example: what kinds of liquids dissolve in water, and what kinds do not? Make some predictions about other mixtures of liquids from around your house. Will they form solutions? Will the volume of the solution be more, less or the same as the individual liquids? With an adult's help, select and mix other pairs of liquids (e.g., cooking oil and water, alcohol and cooking oil). By the way, if you measure the weight of your solutions, you'll find that one plus one does equal two! (Van Cleave, 1989, 26–27)Bibliography
VanCleave, J., 1989. Chemistry for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments That Really Work. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.Variations
- For more science project ideas in this area of science, see Chemistry Project Ideas.
Last edit date: 2006-12-27 18:17:22
Career Focus
If you like this project, you might want to think about career opportunities in
Chemistry.
Everything in the environment, whether naturally occurring or of human design, is composed of chemicals. Chemists search for and use new knowledge about chemicals to develop new processes or products. Learn more about this career: Chemist.
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