Warheads Lab
Contributors:
Parker Smith
Emily Davis
Sam Maldonado
Kat Burgert
Problem:
How persistent are the effects of a single occurrence of acid rain on a substance?
Introduction:
Warheads are famous for their being partially inedible, and dangerous in large quantities. The surprisingly sour treat is somewhat of a legend for its warning labels and has its fair share of critisism among soured consumers. For the lab, only conjecture on the candy's supposed acidity was presented, so not only was the group testing the problem at hand, but also the belief that these candies were extremely acidic. The problem itself, however, was how a single acidic component added to a substance with a certain pH would react, particularly concerning the level of acidification and change over time. We were interested to test the acidic candy (and wether it was really as acidic as many claim,) on several different bases. Detergent and milk were the bases we wanted to test, in order to examine wether the candy would have less of an effect, or wether the time for the effect to take place would be longer. We also tested a solution with crushed eggshells to test whether this method of neutralizing an acid would be viable when presented in such an isolated instance with a powerful, large acid component. The knowledge we gained from the experiment could eventually be applied to a larger scale looking at combating acidification of bodies of water as well as understanding the effects acid rain will have on an ecosystem based on it's soil's and water's pH.
Hypothesis:
A concentrated exposure of an acidic source to a more basic substance will acidify the substance at a lesser rate.
Variables:
Independent variable: Solutions in the beakers
Dependent variable: pH recorded after candy is added
Control group: Beaker of distilled water
Constant: Warhead candy, volume of liquid
Experimental group: Milk, eggshells, detergent
Controlled variables: Time of candy exposure before recording, volume of liquid, warhead type (yellow)
Materials:
Warheads (hard candy)
Eggshells
Beakers (4)
Distilled water
Universal solvent
Milk
Detergent
Stirrer (for the purpose of the lab the long end of spoons were used)
Parker Smith
Emily Davis
Sam Maldonado
Kat Burgert
Problem:
How persistent are the effects of a single occurrence of acid rain on a substance?
Introduction:
Warheads are famous for their being partially inedible, and dangerous in large quantities. The surprisingly sour treat is somewhat of a legend for its warning labels and has its fair share of critisism among soured consumers. For the lab, only conjecture on the candy's supposed acidity was presented, so not only was the group testing the problem at hand, but also the belief that these candies were extremely acidic. The problem itself, however, was how a single acidic component added to a substance with a certain pH would react, particularly concerning the level of acidification and change over time. We were interested to test the acidic candy (and wether it was really as acidic as many claim,) on several different bases. Detergent and milk were the bases we wanted to test, in order to examine wether the candy would have less of an effect, or wether the time for the effect to take place would be longer. We also tested a solution with crushed eggshells to test whether this method of neutralizing an acid would be viable when presented in such an isolated instance with a powerful, large acid component. The knowledge we gained from the experiment could eventually be applied to a larger scale looking at combating acidification of bodies of water as well as understanding the effects acid rain will have on an ecosystem based on it's soil's and water's pH.
Hypothesis:
A concentrated exposure of an acidic source to a more basic substance will acidify the substance at a lesser rate.
Variables:
Independent variable: Solutions in the beakers
Dependent variable: pH recorded after candy is added
Control group: Beaker of distilled water
Constant: Warhead candy, volume of liquid
Experimental group: Milk, eggshells, detergent
Controlled variables: Time of candy exposure before recording, volume of liquid, warhead type (yellow)
Materials:
Warheads (hard candy)
Eggshells
Beakers (4)
Distilled water
Universal solvent
Milk
Detergent
Stirrer (for the purpose of the lab the long end of spoons were used)
Procedure:
1. Put 100 mL of water, milk, and water [will later contain eggshells]) in individual beakers (3 beakers total)
2. In the fourth beaker, fill 50 mLwith detergent and 50 mL with water for dilution. (This will enable you to clearly record the effects of the universal indicator later.)
3. Add 3 drops of universal indicator to each beaker and record the resulting pH not the data table.
4. Add 1 lemon warhead to each beater and stir slightly with stirrer (make sure to either clean stirrer after using it on each solvent, or have 4 separate stirrers prepared for each beaker).
5. Record pH again, add more universal indicator to see results.
6. Wait 30 minutes and record the pH on the table again, adding more indicator if necessary for optimum visibility of results.
1. Put 100 mL of water, milk, and water [will later contain eggshells]) in individual beakers (3 beakers total)
2. In the fourth beaker, fill 50 mLwith detergent and 50 mL with water for dilution. (This will enable you to clearly record the effects of the universal indicator later.)
3. Add 3 drops of universal indicator to each beaker and record the resulting pH not the data table.
4. Add 1 lemon warhead to each beater and stir slightly with stirrer (make sure to either clean stirrer after using it on each solvent, or have 4 separate stirrers prepared for each beaker).
5. Record pH again, add more universal indicator to see results.
6. Wait 30 minutes and record the pH on the table again, adding more indicator if necessary for optimum visibility of results.
Data Analysis:
The control group, which was the distilled water with the warhead, was testing the acidity of warheads themselves, which we found to be very strong, as the water went from a neutral 7 pH prior to the warhead, to a highly acidic 3 after the warhead. Surprisingly, the milk was slightly acidic to begin with, but was further acidified by the warhead. The eggshells were not effective at neutralizing the effects of the warheads as the pH dropped significantly. The detergent used was actually very acidic, although we initially assumed it would be a base. Our data found that it was only slightly effected by the warhead, but like all the other solutions, was further acidified over the course of 20 minutes.
Conclusion:
According to the Warhead website and warning label, " Eating multiple pieces within a short time period may cause a temporary irritation to sensitive tongues and mouths." This was the evidence of acidic contents within the Warhead that initially sparked our interest in the potential acidification such substances could pose to environments. Our hypothesis, although incorrect, was not wrong in some aspects. The bases such as the eggshells and (slightly basic) milk did end up with a high pH than the Warheads caused in the water, leading us to conclude that acid effects an environment less is it is more basic in pH. However, the detergent was an error as it was meant to be an example of a basic substance, but upon testing proved to be acidic. To a lesser degree, the same case occurred with the milk substance as well. Additionally, examining pH using universal indicator proves a challenge as examining colors by sight alone is difficult to keep accurate and concise. If the experiment were improved, less unsure methods of recording pH would be used. I'd also be interested to test warheads with ocean water, as the acidification this lab is examining is more applicable if we test it in the substances it actually occurs in. Also, testing the pH of a warhead versus acid rain would be an interesting comparison, and would tell us wether our lab was accurate in its assumption that the warheads could simulate such effects as acid rain on a controlled substance.
Citations:
"WARHEADS® Sour Candy." WARHEADS® Sour Candy. Impact Confections, n.d. Web. 11 May 2015.
The control group, which was the distilled water with the warhead, was testing the acidity of warheads themselves, which we found to be very strong, as the water went from a neutral 7 pH prior to the warhead, to a highly acidic 3 after the warhead. Surprisingly, the milk was slightly acidic to begin with, but was further acidified by the warhead. The eggshells were not effective at neutralizing the effects of the warheads as the pH dropped significantly. The detergent used was actually very acidic, although we initially assumed it would be a base. Our data found that it was only slightly effected by the warhead, but like all the other solutions, was further acidified over the course of 20 minutes.
Conclusion:
According to the Warhead website and warning label, " Eating multiple pieces within a short time period may cause a temporary irritation to sensitive tongues and mouths." This was the evidence of acidic contents within the Warhead that initially sparked our interest in the potential acidification such substances could pose to environments. Our hypothesis, although incorrect, was not wrong in some aspects. The bases such as the eggshells and (slightly basic) milk did end up with a high pH than the Warheads caused in the water, leading us to conclude that acid effects an environment less is it is more basic in pH. However, the detergent was an error as it was meant to be an example of a basic substance, but upon testing proved to be acidic. To a lesser degree, the same case occurred with the milk substance as well. Additionally, examining pH using universal indicator proves a challenge as examining colors by sight alone is difficult to keep accurate and concise. If the experiment were improved, less unsure methods of recording pH would be used. I'd also be interested to test warheads with ocean water, as the acidification this lab is examining is more applicable if we test it in the substances it actually occurs in. Also, testing the pH of a warhead versus acid rain would be an interesting comparison, and would tell us wether our lab was accurate in its assumption that the warheads could simulate such effects as acid rain on a controlled substance.
Citations:
"WARHEADS® Sour Candy." WARHEADS® Sour Candy. Impact Confections, n.d. Web. 11 May 2015.