Kitchen Mix-Up Lab

Definition:

• Food Scientist -- A scientist who learns about what food is made of. Food scientists also come up with ways to make sure food is safe (and healthy) for people to eat. Without food scientists, we might be eating unsafe food with germs.

• Catalyst-- a substance that, when combined with another substance, causes a chemical reaction.

• Reagent -- a substance that, when combined with a reactant, causes a chemical reaction.

• Product -- The substance produced at the end of a reaction.

Lab:

There is a mix-up in the kitchen! There are not any labels on contains so we don't know which ingredient is which! You will need to think like a food scientist and complete an experiment to test which ingredient is which.

Equipment:

• Each table will have three bowls set out, labeled 1, 2, and 3.

• Each bowl will have an unknown reagent in it.

• Each table will have a bottle of acidic catalyst.

Directions:

• Document what each ingredient looks like:

  • color

  • texture

  • smell

  • viscosity

• Add a small amount of the reactant to bowl 1

  • Document the reaction

    • Did it change the smell, texture, viscosity?

    • What changed? What stayed the same?

• Add a small amount of the reactant to bowl 2

  • Document the reaction

    • Did it change the smell, texture, viscosity?

    • What changed? What stayed the same?

• Add a small amount of the reactant to bowl 3

  • Document the reaction

    • Did it change the smell, texture, viscosity?

    • What changed? What stayed the same?

  • Using the image below, identify which reagent is in which bowl.

Salt + Vinegar:

• Sodium Acetate Anhydrous -- A crystallized form of sodium; commonly used as an "electrolyte."

• Hydrogen Chloride -- A vaporous gas which has multiple purposes including industry and technology. Turns into hydro-chloric acid when the gas vapor encounters water vapor.

Baking Soda + Vinegar

• Sodium Acetate -- Used in heating pads, concrete manufacturing, and additives to food.

• Carbolic Acid --A vaporous gas which has multiple purposes including industry and technology. Turns into hydro-chloric acid when the gas vapor encounters water vapor.

Cornstarch + Vinegar

• Non-Newtonian fluid

• Physical change, not chemical change