Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello! My daughter picked this (see URL) experiment to do for her 5th grade science project but we are not having any luck.
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... W?fave=yes
Is there someone we can ask specific questions?
Like if you have to use certain cereals or a certain magnet strength? Or do you have to hold the magent in place for longer than a minute?
We have not been able to form the iron pellets even with a cereal that indicates it has 50% iron.... We tried three different cereals.
Thank you for your help. We do not want to abandon this project.....

Hi,

This is a great project idea, and I don’t know why you are not seeing any iron. If iron is present, then it should be attracted to the magnet. When experiments don’t turn out as expected, scientists do troubleshooting, which usually involves changing one thing at a time until the problem is solved. I have not done this experiment. But here are some questions and suggestions that might help solve the problem.

1. Do you have a stronger magnet to try? If not, then tape the magnet that you have in place on the outside of the glass and gently stir the solution so any iron will be attracted to the magnet. With a weaker magnet, it might take a few minutes.

2. How long did you blend the sample? Is the sample perfectly smooth? The iron must be in solution and free of the cereal particles for this to work.

3. What type of water did you use? If you used tap water, it might contain chlorine that would oxidize the iron to a soluble form that would not concentrate on the magnet. Did you use distilled or deionized water? If not, then definitely try a different water to blend the cereal.

4. One problem with the experiment as described is that there is no positive control for the experiment. One possibility would be to use the magnet to collect some iron filings and mix these into the water using the same protocol that you are using for the cereal to verify that your experimental protocol is working.

Let us know what happens. Good luck!

Donna Hardy

Thank you for the suggestions. Taping the magent is a great idea! We will give it a try again and let you know. THANKS!

Hello again. So we tried again but did not collect a good sampling. More than before but trace amounts. We taped a high strength magnet and collected for 30 minutes (stirring gently).
Maybe the cereal sample we are using is too rich in fiber or something.... We did blend until smooth but it was thick. I think I will for the first time in my life by Capn Crunch or something! Or maybe a baby cereal where there is a high concentration of iron?

But I will try testing the protocol with the magnet with iron filings and water (we are using distilled). Where would I get iron filings?

Thanks for your help!!!

Hi,

This is disappointing. It sounds like the experiment is working a little better, but not like the original report. You can buy iron filings on-line or possibly at a local toy or craft store.

Also, I remember that I used to collect iron filings from sand and dust many years ago. You would not need a large quantity to use as a control for this experiment. I think they would be readily available in urban environment.

Donna Hardy

My father used to do this experiment with his second-graders when he was an elementary school teacher. Unfortunately, I wasn't in his class, so I don't know any details!

I would suggest using a higher ratio of water. If the mixture is very thick, it is possible that the iron just can't get to the magnet. Perhaps halving the amount of cereal and keeping the amount of water the same will improve your results. That's just a guess, though--I have never done the experiment myself.

Good luck!

Hi,

I don't know if it's too late, but the solution to the problem you are having with this project may be due to the magnet. A heavy duty magnet may not work as well as a smaller magnet. So, if you are still experimenting, please do try different size magnets. Grape Nuts is a cereal with a high iron content that should give results like the picture in the project guide.

Donna Hardy