Cari's Experiment 4.1
A. Purpose
Water is the most substantial necessity to the body. Though this liquid looks simple, it is actually composed of several things: hydrogen and oxygen atoms. There is a procedure of breaking these molecules down into their individual hydrogen and oxygen forms. This process is known as electrolysis.
Experiment 4.1 is designed to prove, by use of water electrolysis, the existence of the chemicals that make up water.
B. Equipment
Water
9-volt battery
Two test tubes
Juice glass
Epsom salts
Tablespoon
Safety glasses
C. Procedure
I filled the glass with water.
I added 3 tablespoons of Epsom salts and stirred so that they dissolved.
I placed the battery vertically at the bottom of the glass.
I allowed the battery to sit for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, I took my test tubes and filled them completely with the solution in the glass.
I took the two tubes and, while keeping their openings fully immersed in the solution, held them upside down.
I placed one tube over each terminal of the battery, once again making sure that the openings of the tubes were submerged
I made the test tubes balance on the battery so that I did not have to hold them there. I also taped the test tubes together.
I let the experiment sit for a while, going back periodically and checking it.
D. Observations
After setting up the experiment and standing the battery vertical at the bottom of the glass, immediately bubbles formed on both of the terminals
After the battery sat for 10 minutes, nothing had happened
After placing the test tubes on the terminals, bubbles came up out of the terminal and collected at the top of each test tube.
After checking a few minutes later, the liquid in the both test tubes had decreased slightly, the one over the negative terminal more dramatically.
The water in the test tubes and general glass turned a sick green color.
The end result (when the liquid in the negative terminal had diminished to filling only half of the test tube) was that the negative terminal had slightly less liquid in it than the test tube over the positive terminal. The water in the positive terminal was also more clear than the liquid in the negative terminal.
E. Conclusion
This experiment was a good example of the electrolysis process and the aftereffects. There is a reason behind the fact that the water in the positive terminal was higher than that in the negative. This reason has a lot to do with the composition of water, for the bubbles and gases that formed in the positive test tube were oxygen, while the other was hydrogen. Since the electricity was breaking down the water into its two chemicals, this experiment proved that because the hydrogen in the negative test tube was higher than the oxygen in the positive test tube, water contains more hydrogen than oxygen.
An idea for further research would be to try the experiment by using a solution other than Epsom salts but that contains the same active ingredients.
F. Bibliography
"Water." Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia. 2000 ed. CD-ROM. Cambridge, MA: The Learning Company, 1999.
Great Source. ScienceSaurus. Wilmington, MA: Great Source Education Group, 2005.
McKeeman, Lori. Physical Science Week 5 Class notes. Course website. Sept. 2008-June 2009. Science Dept, The Potter’s School. 9 Sept 2008
Wile, Dr. Jay L. Exploring Creation With Physical Science. Anderson, IN: Apologia Educational Ministries, 2007
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