Candy Corn Pumpkin
Lab
7th Grade
Dissolving Candy Corn Pumpkins
Purpose: How well does a candy corn
pumpkin dissolve in room
temperature: water, vinegar, oil, and
isopropanol?
Hypothesis
If I add a candy corn pumpkin to the following liquids at room
temperature then the pumpkin will…
○ None:
○ Water:
○ Vinegar:
○ Soybean oil:
○ 70% Isopropanol:
Record the following:
● Independent variable (remember levels!)
● Dependent variable
● Constants (at least 3)
● Control setup
Materials
● 4 Clear cups
● 4 Graduated cylinders
● Triple beam balance
● 4 Weigh trays
● 5 Candy pumpkins (Do
not eat!)
● Paper towels
● Timer
● Calculator
● 75 mL Room temperature:
○ Water
○ Oil
○ Vinegar
○ Isopropanol
Procedure
1. Gather materials
2. Label 1 cup and tray for each liquid: Water, Oil,
Vinegar, and Isopropanol
3. Measure 75 mL of each liquid and pour it into its
corresponding cup
Procedure Cont’d
4. Write qualitative and quantitative observations of
each pumpkin
a. Mass: weigh 1 tray, weigh 1 pumpkin in the tray, and
then subtract the tray
5. Place 1 candy pumpkin in each liquid, leave 1 on your
table
Procedure Cont’d
6. At 5 minutes (use a timer!) record qualitative
observations for the liquid and the pumpkin
7. At 10 minutes remove each pumpkin from its
liquid and put it on its corresponding weigh tray
8. Record new qualitative and quantitative
observations of the pumpkins and the solutions
Procedure Cont’d
9. Clean up your tables: put materials away, throw
away trash, and dry off tables
10.Answer the questions below the data table in
complete sentences
11.Write a conclusion
Data Table
0 Minutes
None
Water
Oil
Vinegar
Isopropanol
5 minutes
10 minutes
Questions
1. How has each pumpkin changed in appearance and
mass?
2. How has each solution changed?
a. If there is orange dye in the liquid where is it located?
3. What can you infer about the density of the orange dye
and sugar mixture based on its location in each liquid?
Conclusion
● Restate your hypothesis
○ Was each part correct or incorrect?
○ Use your data to support your inferences
● Explain any experimenter error and how you
would avoid it in the future