Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

If I were to do a project on comparing chemical and natural antacids, what procedure should I use?

Hi from Scibuddies,

Well, first I think you should define what you mean by 'natural' and 'chemical' antacids. The active ingredient in Tums is calcium carbonate which is also found in chalk, a natural mineral.

In order to compare antacids, you will need to set up an artificial stomach. In humans, stomach acid is hydrochloric, HCl, at a concentration that gives a pH of 1.5-3.5 in a volume of about 100 ml. You will need a way to measure pH to within 0.5 pH units. Your school lab should have a pH meter that you can use. Otherwise, there are some fairly inexpensive meters that can be purchased online. Just make sure they have the accuracy that you need. You can use pH paper, but the meter is more convenient and accurate. It would make the experiment more interesting if you also measured the rate of change of pH with time. This would tell you how fast the antacid worked.

I hope this helps to get you started. Post again with more questions and I can try to steer you into an exceptional project.

Sybee

What kind of hypothesis would be appropriate for the electrophoresis chamber project?

I am considering creating the electrophoresis chamber for my school science fair. I want to compare the molecules in food coloring by brand. But I can’t come up with a good hypothesis. Please Help.

Hello, I've merged your posts with your previous posts so the expert who has been helping you will see that you have more questions. Thank you for keeping your posts together!

Hi,

Your experiment sounds like a really interesting project! When brainstorming a hypothesis for your experiment, you can start simple and grow in complexity as you research your topic. For example, with your experiment idea to compare food dye brands using electrophoresis, think about the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your idea. This will help you think of why the experiment is important and interesting to you, and it can help lead you to an interesting hypothesis. No matter what, developing a hypothesis is difficult, and it requires time, thought, and background research.

Here is a resource about developing a question for an experiment. https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... t-question

I hope this helps!
Cat
ScienceBuddies