http://leighhouse.typepad.com/advergirl/images/alka_seltzer_burger_1.jpg
Science Fair 2014
What effect does the size of the Alka Seltzer
tablet have on how long it bubbles?
Student Name
February 6,2014
All Saints Catholic School.
Acknowledgements
The Young Scientist gratefully thanks:
• Dad- Helped the young scientist prepare the
questions for the interview
• Mom- Helped with the note cards and in
choosing an “appropriate” topic.
• Mr. Fred Jones, executive director of
marketing for Bayer AG, who kindly answered
many interview questions.
2
Learning about Alka-Seltzer
Is Important:
To help people
understand chemical
reactions and the
properties of water
Has Practical Applications
• Information learned is
helpful to subjects who
need help for upset
stomach
• Information can help
people to use this
substance to safely
clean surfaces like
jewelry and metallic
surfaces
http://cache.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/06/alka-seltzer-diy.png
3
Previous Research: This study owes a
debt to the following scientists:
• Oswald Schmiedeberg
(1838-1921)
• generally recognized as
founder of modern
pharmacology, the study of
medicines to help people
feel better.
• Published over 200 articles
and books on the
relationship between
various medicines and
their narcotic effects upon
the human body
• professor of pharmacology
at University of Stassburg
in Latvia
http://mega.chem.ut.ee/~faulbeer/pages/ajalugu_i/Oswalt_Schmiedeberg.jpg
4
John Jacob Abel(1857-1938)
• Approached biology
with a first-rate training
in chemistry
• Believed that the study
of molecules and atoms
was as important as the
observation of cellular
tissues
• first person to isolate
adrenaline, an
important body
hormone
http://www.aspet.org/uploadedImages/Abel,-John.gif?n=8817
5
Claude Bernard
(1813-1878)
•Discovered the role
of the pancreas in
digestion
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Claude_Bernard
_lesson_1889.jpg
• Established the role of experimentation for the life
sciences including the need for the hypothesis
• Studied the effects of poisons like curare and
carbon monoxide
6
This study of the effect size has on the time Alka
Seltzer bubbles is based on an understanding of:
Mass
•Basic property of all
particles of matter
•Amount of mass affects
gravitational field of objects
•According to Isaac Newton,
“Every mass attracts every
other mass in the universe.”
(Boundless).
http://teachertech.rice.edu/Participants/louviere/Newt
on/newton.html
7
What is Alka Seltzer?
http://acupuncturerichmondva.com/images/stom
ach-ache.gif
• An antacid and pain reliever
that breaks up and dissolves
the full feeling people get
related to digestion
• Ingredients include aspirin and
a combination of sodium
bicarbonate, potassium
bicarbonate, and anhydrous
citric acid
• Makes a sound of plop-plop
when dropped into a water
solution – used for ads
8
How does Alka Seltzer work?
When dropped into water, solid sodium
bicarbonate and citric acid in tablets form
sodium citrate, carbon dioxide, and water.
(Senese).
9
)
What does Alka
Seltzer do in the
stomach?
•Sodium citrate = weak
base
•Stomach acid = mainly HCl
(hydrochloric acid)
•So, Alka Seltzer
neutralizes the acid by
creating water and carbon
dioxide gas
http://www.bryanfields.com/samples/alka/product/
how.html
Na3C3H5O7 (aq) + 3HCl (aq)  H3C3H5O7 (aq) + 3NaCl(aq)
(Senese).
10
•The production of
bubbles or foaming
created when
chemicals mix and a
chemical reaction
occurs (What is the
definition).
•Example: mixing of
vinegar and baking
soda
•Occurs when Alka
Seltzer tablets mix
with water
What is
effervescence?
SeparationsNow.comhttp://www.separationsn
ow.com/details/ezine/sepspec26430ezine/Fizz
11
What is a chemical reaction?
Example of A Chemical Reaction
• Process that produces
chemical change
resulting in new
substances forming that
are different from the
original substances
• Have reactants –
http://www.mhhe.com/physsci/chemistry/chang7/esp/fo
lder_structure/cr/m1/s2/
substances before the
reaction
• Have products-created Alka Seltzer creates a
chemical reaction when
as a result of the
tablets mix with water
reaction
12
An Interview with Pharmacist, Fred Jones
Can I dissolve Alka
Seltzer in a liquid
other than water?
It is not recommended. The amount
of fizz or full dissolution of the tablets
could change meaning it’s longer for
the medicine to take effect.
What temperature of
water should be used
for Alka Seltzer?
The best temperature is room
temperature. Cold water will slow
down dissolution and warm water will
can make it foam too much.
What if the tablets
don’t fizz?
http://www.picturesof.net/pages/090213011042-874042.html
This can be a sign that
the tablets have started
to break down. Don’t
use them.
13
In summary, the following facts may
be stated about Alka Seltzer:
It has mass – the more mass, the more concentrated
It neutralizes stomach acid and relieves pain
It creates a chemical reaction when it reacts with
water
It creates effervescence, gas bubbles, when it mixes
with water.
It is most effective with room temperature water
http://science.csustan.edu/byrd/chem1002/gasevol.htm
14
Based on the previous facts, the
following hypothesis was developed:
If the size of an Alka Seltzer
tablet is increased, then the
chemical reaction will occur
faster because the
increased concentration of
the larger tablet will cause
the carbon dioxide gas to
escape from the water more
quickly.
http://www.middleschoolchemistry.com/lessonplans
/chapter6/lesson2
15
Works Cited
"Boundless." Weight of the Earth. Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0, 2013.
Web. 12 Jan. 2014. <https://www.boundless.com/physics/uniform-circularmotion-and-gravitation/newton-s-law-of-universal-gravitation/weight-ofthe-earth/>.
"Interview with Fred Jones." E-mail interview. 15 Dec. 2013. Web.
"Mass." Definition of Mass. Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0, n.d. Web.
13 Jan. 2014. <https://www.boundless.com/chemistry/definition/mass/>.
Senese, Fred. "What Makes Alka Seltzer Tablets Fizz?" General Chemistry Online: FAQ:
Chemistry of Everyday Life:. Frostburg.edu, n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2014.
<http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/consumer/faq/why-doesalkaseltzer-fizz.shtml>.
16
Appendix A: Some Facts About Alka Seltzer
Alka-Seltzer is an effervescent
antacid and pain reliever first
marketed in 1956 by the Dr. Miles
Medicine Company.
Alka-Seltzer is marketed for relief of
minor aches, pains, inflammation,
fever, headache, heartburn, sour
stomach, indigestion, and hangovers
while neutralizing excess stomach
acid.
Alka-Seltzer is currently owned by Bayer Schering Pharma
AG, Germany.
17