Soda isn't soda without that fizz—but have you ever wondered how they create those bubbles? In this activity you will make your own bubbly drink while exploring the reactions that create that famous fizz. Background Acids and bases are all around us; in our dishwashing liquid, our medicines—even our foods!
We can use these reactions to help us clean, ease a sick stomach or make food taste more interesting. A base is a compound that can donate negatively charged hydroxide ions. When you add a base to water the basic compound will break apart, and the addition of its hydroxide ions makes the solution more basic.
Bases are found in many household cleaning supplies as well as in medicine to help neutralize stomach acid for people who suffer from heartburn.
An acid, in contrast, is a compound that can donate a positively charged hydrogen ion or proton. When you add an acid to water it will come apart, making the solution more acidic with the addition of its hydrogen ions. Although some acids can be dangerous, we also need them to survive.
For instance, as we chew, the acid in saliva helps break down food for digestion! When you combine an acid and a base you initiate an acid—base reaction. When there are an equal number of hydrogen and hydroxide ions present the acid and base will neutralize each other, forming a salt and water. In this activity you will explore the reaction that takes place when you combine an acid with a basic carbonate.
Observations and results In this activity you should have observed a fizzing or bubbling when you added the baking soda to your lemon juice mixture. In addition, when you tasted your final product you should have also been able to feel the bubbles in your mouth—which were the product of an acid—base reaction. Can you guess which of the ingredients in your mixture was the acid and which was the base? You can recognize acidic foods such as lemons, which are very acidic based on taste; acids taste very sour to us.
Other acidic foods include vinegar, grapefruit and limes. Bases, on the other hand, can be more difficult to detect. Basic foods can taste slightly bitter to us—or they might have very little taste at all.
But you might have guessed it was the base in your reaction because as soon as you added it, your mixture should have started fizzing! Pour the lemon juice into a glass. Take a small sip to taste! Take another small sip — how has the taste changed? Add iced water to taste. We added about twice as much water as juice. Add sugar to taste and stir. We added quite a few spoonfuls. Taste again. Does it taste better now?
Do you like it? Add a slice of lemon and a mint leaf to garnish. Step 2: Juice the lemons. This can be quite tricky for little hands! Step 3: Pour the lemon juice into a glass. Uh-oh, over-plosion! Look at all those bubbles! Step 5: Add iced water to taste. Step 6: Add sugar to taste and stir. Step 7: If you want your drink to look fancy-pants, add a slice of lemon and a mint leaf to garnish. Fun facts An acid is something that has a low pH.
You can find more tasty ideas on Edible Science page , including: how to make fizzy sherbet how to make Anzac biscuits how to make curds and whey and more! Next: Limeade and Orangeade Experiment. Acids have a low pH and bases have a high pH.
Otherwise interesting experiment. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Things You'll Need. Related Articles. Article Summary.
Method 1. Combine the sugar and water in a medium sized saucepan. Pour 1 cup milliliters of water into the saucepan. Add 1 cup grams of sugar and stir with a spoon or whisk to mix. This will make the simple syrup for your lemonade.
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then simmer it for 10 minutes. Once the sugar water starts to boil, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and set it aside to cool, at least 30 to 60 minutes. Discard the leaves. Your simple syrup is now complete. Transfer the cooled sugar water to a large pitcher and stir in the lemon juice. Make sure that the pitcher is large enough to hold the sparkling water as well. Don't add any ice yet. Add the sparkling water and make any adjustments.
You will need at least 3 cups milliliters of sparkling water. If you like your lemonade less sweet, use up to 8 cups 2 liters of sparkling water. If it is not sweet enough, add more sugar. If the lemonade is too strong, add more sparkling water. If it is too bland, add more lemon juice and sugar. Serve the lemonade. Add the ice to the glasses you will be serving the lemonade in, not the pitcher.
This way, the ice won't water down the lemonade as it melts. You can serve the lemonade as is, or garnish it with mint leaves, basil leaves, or lemon slices. Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review. Method 2. Combine the sugar, lemon juice, soda, and water in a large pitcher and give it a quick stir. You aren't quite ready to make your blended lemonade yet, but the pitcher will make it easier transfer everything later on.
This recipe makes an icy, frozen lemonade, similar to a slushy. It won't be smooth like a milkshake or smoothie. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. Stir it occasionally. Pour the lemon mixture into a blender and add the ice. You will need 2 to 3 cups to grams grams of ice.
The more ice you add, the thicker your lemonade will be. Blend on high speed, pausing every so often, until everything is combined. Now and then, pause the blender, and use a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture down the sides. This will help everything mix in more evenly. The ice should be all broken up by the time you are done.
Pour the lemonade into 4 glasses, and serve. You can serve it as is, or you can garnish it with some mint leaves or lemon zest. Method 3. Squeeze out the juice of 1 lemon into a glass. Cut a lemon in half, and use a lemon juicer to squeeze the juice. Use a strainer placed over your glass to catch any pulp and seeds. Discard the pulp and seeds when you are done. This method makes a great science experiment because the acid in the lemon juice reacts with the baking soda and makes it fizz.
Add in an equal amount of water, about 2 to 3 tablespoons. You should now have 1 part water and 1 part lemon juice in your glass. Stir in some sugar.
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