Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I am doing the cool luminol light project! I need help constructing a hypothesis because I am unsure of the outcome of brightness. The experiment is adding the chemical Luminol to different temperatures of water. The water causes the Luminol to light up, but the temperature affects how bright the chemical gets. My question is: would the chemical become brighter in hotter water or colder water? Thanks

An hypothesis is an educated guess that you make based on your research and knowledge on the subject. Luminol lighting up is a reaction - from what you know about chemical reactions, do you think they might be more active and go faster where it's warm or where it's cold? Remember that heat is a form of energy and that molecules will move faster when they have more energy (think ice cubes vs boiling water).

Take a look at https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... esis.shtml if you haven't done so already. "If _____ _____, then _____[this]_____ will happen."

You're going to do the experiment to find out the answer anyway, so make your best guess as to what the outcome might be, do the experiment and see if you're right. That's what the project is about.

Write back and let us know how the experiment went, or if you want opinions on your hypothesis, post that here and we'll be happy to comment on it.

Howard