Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I made the agar for my daughters petri dishes, but for some reason, after they had set up and we did the experiment the agar melted in the dishes. So I have to start the project all over again, and I am not sure what went wrong. Please inform me of what could be wrong or done differently. Her project is due on the 13 of October 2016, so I am running out of time...

Hi Confae22,

Can you please let us know what was the concentration of agar and what solvent you used?

Usually if the concentration is too low or you didn't dissolve it completely it will not produce gel. However, since you were able to get gel at first but then it turned liquid, it suggests drastic change in pH which caused hydrolysis.

Hope this helps!

Peter S.