Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi,
I was wondering for this project(Dealing with diabetes) why we used baking soda and vinegar to represent high and low blood sugar levels?

Hi there,

The vinegar and baking soda are used to make a model system that represents blood sugar levels. Since it is harder to detect sugar levels in a solution, we chose to use acids and bases as a model so that they are easier to detect. Acids and bases are conductive which means that we can measure them based on the sensor. Also, acids and bases neutralize each other, in the same way that high and low blood sugar levels would even out to a neutral level.

While it's not exactly what you would be dealing with in the body, it creates a system we can measure and use as a model!

Hope this helps.

Erin