Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Posting on behalf of a student. The student used oat flour instead of almond flour and is having trouble.

"I am currently doing the experiment how to get most out of iron rich foods. I used oat flour instead of almond flour and I am at the stage in the experiment where I compare the solutions to the iron color chart and the solutions are not changing color at all. They are all light brown and have a huge buildup of flour in the bottom of the glasses. Could you help me figure out what/if I did something wrong."

Project: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... eityourown

Thank you.
Amy

Hello!

Oat flour tends to be grainier than almond flour. This could make it harder for the iron to dissolve and for the indicator solution to change color since it specifically measures dissolved iron. To avoid this, you can try grinding the oat flour into a finer powder or using a finer sieve to remove large particles. Also, make sure to stir the solutions before comparing colors, as this can help release the iron from the flour and prevent buildup at the bottom of the glass. Since the experiment is designed for almond flour, you may need to adjust the amount of flour used in the test or let the solutions sit for longer when using oat flour.

I hope that helps, good luck!