Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I am planning on doing a science project that involves me using potassium perchlorate, and perchlorate acid; testing it on some water fleas to see the affect, but the reverse affects is going to be done by using turmeric. Since turmeric is an antioxidant, its suppose to reduce inflammation and etc. I also found some terms that fall into the category as well such as hyperthyroidism (which I think is suppose to affect the Daphnia), curcumin (the turmeric), Diarylheptanoid, oxidization, and plenty more. I didn't test this project at all yet, but I do think I should know some of the affects of the different chemicals, and the meaning of some of these terms and how they combine or "work" together.

Hi littlemissgothgirl,

Most of the contributors to the Physical Science section of this forum are physicists, chemists, engineers, etc. Although some may have expertise in biology, I think you might find more help with this question in the Life, Earth and Social Science section of the forum.

I hope this helps and good luck with your project. Please post again if you have more questions.

A. Norman

Hi,

Daphnia are a good choice for environmental studies of chemical pollution. They are very sensitive to contaminants and you can see the effects on their movement, internal organs (heart rate, for example) and reproduction. Are you repeating the project as outlined in this report? http://www.grac.org/Perchlorate_Reversal.pdf

Perchlorate is pretty toxic so be careful with it (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... pQ&cad=rja). Wear safety glasses and disposable gloves when handling perchlorate solutions. I don't know what the standards are in your area for disposal of waste perchlorate solutions. You could ask a chemistry teacher at your school.

The EPA standards for perchlorate in drinking water are 15 micrograms (ug) per liter, but some states have set their levels as low as 1 ug/L (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... tw&cad=rja). I would advise testing a range of sodium perchlorate concentrations beginning with one that is quite low--say 50 ug/L and work up to the higher ones.

Perchlorate affects iodine metabolism in humans. That's why it can cause problems with thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism), but since Daphnia do not have thyroid hormones, this effect is not a concern. Perchlorate will affect the Daphnia in other ways, however, such as altering heart rate.

Curcumin is the active ingredient of turmeric. Turmeric is the ground up root of a plant that is used in cooking. The chemical curcumin makes up about 3% by weight of the turmeric powder. You can buy curcumin supplements in the store that have standardized amounts of curcumin and you might want to test one of these also for comparison with turmeric.

If you have more questions, please let us know.

Good luck!

Sybee