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Introduction

Science coursework Neutralisation: The King Of Remedies By Nazreen Kosar Hussain Planning Task Title To find out from a range of tablets which tablet is the best one to neutralise hydrochloric acid. Aim My aim is to determine which tablet is the best for stomach acid (neutralises the most hydrochloric acid). Scientific Background Acids and Alkalis Many of the substances that we use today are made up of either acids or alkalis. These are two chemical opposites. Most acids are liquids. They are very corrosive and can kill or burn skin cells, bacteria etc. Acids taste sharp and sour. Strong acids such as hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid etc release hydrogen quickly whilst weaker acids such as citric acid and carbonic acid release hydrogen slowly. Strong acids measure at 1 or 2 on the pH scale and weak acids measure at 5 or 6 (The pH is a number on a scale which shows how acidic or alkaline a substance is). Most pure alkalis are solid. Like acids they are also very corrosive. ...read more.

Middle

Method Firstly I will measure 30 ml of water in a measuring cylinder. Secondly I will put this water into a plastic beaker and dissolve a tablet into it. I will stir it with a stirring rod. After this I will add 7 drops of Universal indicator to the solution and stir it. I will put some Hydrochloric acid into a pipette and add it to the solution until it is neutral counting how many drops I add. Finally I will do this experiment twice for each tablet. Fair Test To make this test fair firstly I will make sure that I use the same amount of water and universal indicator. I will also dissolve the same amount of tablet each time. I will make sure that all the water used is all at the same temperature. Finally I shall do each experiment twice to ensure that I obtain accurate results. Equipment Measuring Cylinder, Water, Thermometer, Plastic Beaker, Stirring Rod, Pipette, Hydrochloric acid, Universal Indicator-Phenophatlein, Tablets - Gaviscon, Settlers, Tums, Calcium Carbonate Apparatus ...read more.

Conclusion

(? Gaviscon + acid ? neutral) I had predicted that whichever tablet neutralises the most hydrochloric acid is the best. I did not specify a certain tablet. This ties in with my prediction as it does neutralise the most. Tums was the next best then Settlers and finally Calcium Carbonate. There are no anomalies in my work. Evaluation Accuracy and Reliability I feel that I could have made my results more accurate by doing the experiment another time as I could have miscounted the drops. I think the reliability of my results is fair but improvements could have been made to make it a 100 per cent accurate. Improvements Paying more attention to the different colours on the pH scale so that the overall pH number written could have been more accurate would have made improvements to the investigation. Extending the Investigation I could extend the investigation by using different types of water e.g. hot and cold. I could also have timed the experiment to see which tablet neutralises the fastest. I could also have tried using a wider range of tablets. ...read more.

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