Need project help NOW!!! PLEASE RESPOND (URGENT)

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catsarecool17
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2018 3:59 pm
Occupation: Student

Need project help NOW!!! PLEASE RESPOND (URGENT)

Post by catsarecool17 »

Hi, I’m doing a science project (How fast does an alka-seltzer make gas?) and I need data done for tomorrow morning, March 20th. I’ve worked really hard trying to get this project to work, but it just doesn’t. I set it up properly and did exactly what the instructions said to do with the syringe, the tubing, and the bottle. Please read the project page to know what I’m talking about. It’s on this site. I put the alka seltzer in the water and close the cap of the bottle tightly and wait for the carbon dioxide bubbles to go through the tubing and into the syringe, but it never does. Nothing goes up the tube. The project never says to pull on the syringe but that’s the only way the CO2 actually goes into the tube. I’m panicking. I need help! If I don’t have this data/if this doesn’t work, I get a 0! There’s an image below of my experiment’s setup.

https://imgur.com/a/quKuY
eedoherty
Former Expert
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Aug 31, 2017 11:36 am
Occupation: Other Adult

Re: Need project help NOW!!! PLEASE RESPOND (URGENT)

Post by eedoherty »

Hi there,

There are a few things I think you could check.

Do you see gas formation (bubbles) when you add the alka seltzer?

It looks like you have something around your tubing coming out of the lid. Does this prevent airflow if you remove the lid and try to pump the syringe yourself?

Have you tested your seals to make sure that they are all airtight? If the pressure from CO2 forming is being relieved by gas escaping elsewhere, then your syringe may not fill. Also, have you made any modifications to the size of anything in the procedure (ex: tubing or jar?) if you are using too large of a jar then the amount of CO2 produced by the tablets may not raise the pressure enough to fill the syringe. You could also try modifying the procedure to use more tablets of alka seltzer so that more gas is produced, I would try adding maybe 1/2 a tablet at a time, since you don't want the reaction to become too large.

Some syringes are also quite hard to move, if you have vaseline or grease you could try taking the plunger out and greasing the inside where the plunger slides through slightly so that it is easier to move.

Hopefully this gets to you in time, let me know what you think about my feedback.

Best,

Erin
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