WHICH SHOULD I BUY:
TUMS, ROLAIDS, OR MILK OF MAGNESIA??
An antacid is a medicine that neutralizes excess stomach acid (Hydrochloric acid,
HCl). Your challenge is to measure how much hydrochloric acid Tums, Rolaids, and
Milk of Magnesia neutralize. Analyze your results and carefully read the labels on
the bottles in order to make a recommendation as to which antacid to buy.
Goal: Create and carry out a fair test of the antacids. Analyze your
experimental results, possible sources of error, level of certainty, and the
information on the labels to create a complete, reasonable, scientifically
appropriate recommendation.
Exhibition:
• Write a lab report describing your methods, results, and conclusions.
• Also, create a one-page advertisement for your recommended antacid
brand. Cite your experimental results in the ad. (For example: “Tums
neutralizes 65% more stomach acid than Rolaids!”
Materials:
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Universal indicator solution and Bromthymol Blue indicator
Hydrochloric acid (concentration of 0.1 M)
Graduated cylinders, pipettes, beakers, mortar and pestle
Other materials available upon request
Tums, Rolaids, Milk of Magnesia (with photocopies of labels). Each group is limited to 2
tablets each of Tums and Rolaids and one 5 mL dose of Milk of Magnesia.
Procedure: With a partner, you create the experimental method.