Fizz It Up Faster!

You will need:

AlkaSeltzer® tablets (Caution: AlkaSeltzer® is medicine, so don't eat it or drink the AlkaSeltzer® water) two clear glasses water masking tape pen

Using masking tape, label one glass "cold" and one glass "hot." Fill the glass labeled cold with cold water and the one labeled hot with hot water from the faucet. Be careful with hot water!

Drop one AlkaSeltzer® tablet in each glass and observe.

Do you see bubbles in both glasses? Do you hear a fizzing sound? Which water makes bubbles more rapidly? Which tablet dissolves first?

Explanation

AlkaSeltzer® tablets contain aspirin, sodium bicarbonate, and citric acid. When the tablet is dropped into water, a chemical reaction starts and carbon dioxide is formed. Carbon dioxide is a gas and so it forms bubbles. It's the same bubbles that are in a can of a carbonated drink.

Molecules move faster when they are warm. The chemical reaction happens faster in the hot water, so the bubbles will form faster in the hot water glass. The tablet in the hot water will dissolve first.

What do you think would happen if you used cold water that had been sitting in the refrigerator for awhile?

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/index.html

http://www.halcyon.com/sciclub/

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