Lab 5.1 Alka Seltzer Poppers

In this lab, I started by doing a controlled experiment. The control consisted of a 1/4 tablet of Alka Seltzer being dropped in 10 mLs of room temperature vinegar. For each test after that, I changed one variable. For the temperature test, instead of room temperature vinegar, I used vinegar that had been heated, and vinegar that had been cooled over ice. For the surface area test, I did one test with a 1/4 tablet of alka seltzer that had been crushed, and another test in which a 1/4 tablet of alka seltzer that had been ground into dust. For the vinegar concentration tests, I did one test in which I used 5 mL of water, and 5 mL of vinegar. For the second test of concentration,  I used 2.5 mL of vinegar, and 7.5 mL of water. It is important that I first created a controlled experiment, so that I could compare the results of the experiments to how Alka Seltzer normally reacts. The procedure was effective in determining how each variable influenced the rate, because I only changed one variable at a time, whilst keeping the other conditions the same. If I had changed more than one variable at a time, I would not be able to obtain accurate results.
By changing the temperature of the vinegar, the particles will move faster or slower, depending whether or not the temperature of the vinegar is increasing or decreasing, and the particles may collide more often, so they will react quicker. By decreasing the amount of vinegar, the Alka Seltzer will react slower because t is apparent that the Alka seltzer reacts better in vinegar than it does in water. If the tablet is crushed, there is more surface area, so more of the particles will be colliding more often, so the reaction will speed up.
Enrichment: An example of a biological catalyst is Amylase. Amylase is found in saliva, and it helps any ingested starches break down into simple sugars. It works like a key, because it helps the saliva molecules fit to starch molecules, in order to chemically break them apart.