Name: Partners names:

Groups of 3 allowed, not four. One document per group. Make sure one of your members is
recording the data.

You will be using Alka-Seltzer in a variety of ways. We are trying to determine the best ways to
make Alka-Seltzer react the fastest. The active ingredients we are interested in are sodium
bicarbonate (baking soda), citric acid, and aspirin. Sodium bicarbonate decomposes and lets
out carbon dioxide. 31% of the Alka-Seltzer tablet can disappear as carbon dioxide.

For each reaction, you will be using a quarter Alka-Seltzer tablet. Get the mass of the
quarter-tablet on the mass scale. Make sure that zero/tare the beaker before you get the mass
of the quarter-tablet. We are going to get the time it takes for that tablet to lose 4% of its original
mass. Take the mass of your quarter-tablet and multiply it by 0.96.

There are a variety of treatments that you can choose from: hot water, lukewarm water, cold
water, more water, less water, vinegar, half-vinegar/half-water, salt water, sugar water, crushed
tablet, tablet broken in pieces but not crushed, and your own ideas.

STEP 1: With your group, decide on SIX reactions that you want to do. List them below:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.
STEP 2: Do the procedures for each reaction.
Here are your basic procedures that you will follow for each.
1) Put a small beaker on the mass scale. ZERO. Measure the mass of your quarter-tablet.
Record this on your data table.
2) Multiply this mass by 0.85 to find your target mass. Record this on your data table.
3) Put another small beaker on the mass scale. Add what you plan to react the Alka-Seltzer
with. Write exactly what you added on your data table.
4) Place the SECOND beaker on the mass scale and zero / tare your scale. This must be done
before you add the Alka-Seltzer.
5) At exactly the same time, add the Alka-Seltzer to the second beaker and start a timer. STOP
the timer when you have reached your target mass.

DATA TABLE:

TREATMENT Original mass Original x 0.96 Time to reach

Which two treatments are the fastest?

Which two treatments are the slowest?