Baking Soda Experiments
Baking Soda Experiments
Introduction:
Acids and bases are two special kinds of chemicals. Almost all liquids are either acids or bases to some degree. Whether a liquid is an acid or base depends on the type of ions in it. If it has a lot of hydrogen ions, then it is an acid. If it has a lot of hydroxide ions, then it is a base. A pH scale measures how acidic or basic a liquid is. A pH is a number from 0 to 14. From 0 to 7 are acids, with 0 being the strongest. From 7 to 14 are bases with 14 being the strongest base. If a liquid has a pH of 7, it's neutral. This would be something like distilled water. Baking soda, a substance found in most kitchens, has the chemical name sodium bicarbonate and has a pH of 9. Besides its role as an ingredient for cooking, it has many other uses; for example, it can clean surfaces, deodorize your refrigerator or remove odors from carpets. Lime is an acidic fruit and has a pH of 2.40, very similar to the lemons, which have a pH of 2.30. Today, we are making two different fun experiments with baking soda and lime juice, to observe what happens when they react to other surfaces like paper or with each other!
Materials:
Baking soda, Measuring spoon ( or any spoon), A Paintbrush, toothpick, or cotton swab, Water,A white piece of paper, A light bulb, Lime or lemon juice, A small dish or bowl, A stove ( ask an adult for help for this step)