space.template.3.Lab5MentosMagic2

=Mento's Magic II: The power of Polarity=

In the previous lab you learned that temperature played a relevant role in determining the height of the soda geyser. You soon discovered that when it comes to solubility, gasses are quite different then solids! Other than the temperature, we discussed the polarity of the water molecules in the soda and how that created a surface tension, trapping the carbon dioxide gas in the water. This surface tension is created because the water molecules are polar, meaning that their is a negative and positive end to each molecule. This creates stronger intermolecular bonding, making it more difficult for the carbon dioxide to escape. Once that surface tension is broken, there are more openings for the gas to escape. The objective of this lab activity is to determine how many mentos is ideal in breaking the surface tension for creating a soda geyser.

Prelab
1.) From the previous lab activity, what was the best temperature to use when creating the soda geyser, warm or cold? 2.) Explain your reasoning for the answer to question 1. 3.) What does it mean to be a polar molecule? 4.) Why might it be difficult for the carbon dioxide to escape the soda, if water in the soda is a polar molecule? 5.) Predict: How many mentos is ideal in breaking the surface tension of a 20 oz bottle of soda.

Procedure
Write your procedure down. Be sure to record how many mentos were used and how your placed them into the soda bottle (one at a time, all together, etc.)

Analysis
1.) What number of mentos created the biggest geyser? 2.) What number of mentos created the smallest geyser? 3.) What types of errors could have occurred while doing this lab. For your group as well as others. 4.) How could these errors have been fixed? 5.) What other factors, besides temperature, might play a role in creating a larger size geyser?

Conclusion
Was your hypothesis correct? How has this new information impacted your planning for the 2 liter bottle of soda?