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Judges, please do NOT pre-judge these abstracts. They should only be used to gain a better

understanding of the projects you will see on State Science Day.

GENE—General Chemistry

Elijah Tebbe Ferrofluid CHE

In researching for a project the researchers were inspired by a video on youtube called ferrofluid. It was

very interesting so the researchers agreed to do a science experiment related to ferrofluid.While waiting

for ferrofluid to come the group formed an hypothesis. The group’s hypothesis was, the length of the

ferrofluid spikes will be longest at the hottest temperature. The experiment was designed and when the

ferrofluid arrived the experiment was started. Goggles, gloves, and protective shirts were worn during

the experiment. The first task was to change the temperature of the neodymium magnets. The cold

magnet was frozen with dry ice. The temperature of the magnet was measured using an electronic

thermometer. The temperature went down to 0 degrees fahrenheit. The group then dropped the

magnet into the ferrofluid and a measurement was made on how long the spikes were with a toothpick

and this measurement was record. For the second test the group did the same thing, but did it at room

temperature.Then the group put the neodymium magnet on a hot plate and waited until the magnet

was 144 degrees fahrenheit. The magnet was then immediately put it in the ferrofluid and the

measurement process was repeated. The groups conclusion found that the hypothesis was incorrect.

Cold affected the ferrofluid much more than hot did.

Adam Hamdan The Effects of Soda on Teeth CHE ANAL

The science experiment I chose to conduct involved determining which of five commonly drank sodas

along with Carbonated water and water would be the most damaging to your tooth enamel. After my

initial research, I came across five different types of sodas along with carbonated water and water as a

baseline. These five sodas were named: Clear, Orange, Root beer, Cola A, and Cola B. I also gathered

adult teeth of near equal weight and from people of near equal age for each of the four trials for my

experiment. I then checked their weights each day to see how much weight they lost from yesterday

and from their original weight inside each soda for five days. At the end of each of the four trials, I

concluded that the worst of all the sodas was Cola B followed by Cola A, with Clear and Orange falling in

the middle, and Root beer, Carbonated, and Water appearing to be the healthiest of all the drinks. After

the results came in I was pleased to say that my hypothesis was accepted by stating that Cola B was

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going to be the worst. I believe that my experiment produced accurate results and provided data to tell

the world which soda was the worst for your teeth and caused the most tooth enamel.

Emily Kaufman Nail Polish: Is it really all it's cracked up to be? CHE ANAL

For this experiment I tested the durability of nail polish, and what would happen when I put it through

several tests of everyday life. After repeating the experiment for seven days I was able to figure out

which polish was actually the strongest. I painted plastic rectangles with nail polish and put them

through several tests. In the end Diamond changed the least and Impossible changed the most.

Haley Hoersten Homemade Instant Ice Pack vs Store Bought Instant Ice Pack CHE ANAL

Most people use an ice pack when they have pain or an injury. The goal of this experiment was to see if

the researcher could make an instant ice pack stay colder and last longer than ones sold in stores.

This researcher hypothesized if ammonium chloride is added to water, it will stay colder for a longer

duration, than an instant ice pack sold in stores, calcium chloride, sodium chloride, and urea.

There were five different chemicals used in this experiment. The researcher started by pouring one

hundred and twenty milliliters of water into a glass bowl. After taking the water’s temperature the

researcher added a chemical. Every fifteen, thirty, forty-five seconds, and every minute up to thirty

minutes the temperature was recorded.

After experimentation it was found that the instant ice packs sold in stores had the coldest temperature

of -2.5 and stayed under zero degrees for eight minutes.

It was concluded that the hypothesis was not supported. The experiment showed that the instant ice

packs sold in stores would be better than making your own.

Shelby Ewing The Effectiveness of Higher Costing, Higher SPF-Valued Sunscreen Versus Lower

Costing, Lower SPF-Valued Sunscreen in Blocking Ultraviolet Radiation CHE ANAL

The issue of ultraviolet radiation is a severe one. To allow people to gain valuable knowledge on the

matter, we tested the effectiveness of sunscreen in relationship to the cost. The experiment was

designed to help people learn about protection from ultraviolet radiation and learn the most effective,

yet appropriately priced, methods to avoid over exposure to radiation. In our experimentation, SPF 15,

30, and 50 sunscreen in three different brands each was tested against ultraviolet radiation from an

ultraviolet lamp. During the experiment, one type of sunscreen was coated onto a sheet of glass. The

glass was then put into a wooden box in between the ultraviolet lamp and an ultraviolet meter, which

picks up the amount of ultraviolet radiation present. The UV light was turned on, and the UV meter

detected the amount of ultraviolet radiation that passed through the glass and sunscreen. With the

results, we discovered that SPF 30 and SPF 50 sunscreen protect nearly equally from harmful ultraviolet

rays. With this observation, it is proven that people can buy less expensive SPF 30 sunscreen over more

expensive SPF 50 sunscreen and still be safely shielded from UVR, which can cause many unwanted

diseases. In the current time of economic crisis, the little things can help, and knowing this proven

theory may help people use their money in the most useful way.

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Ryan Morton-Strauss Study of the effectiveness of clumping cat litter CHE anal

The purpose of this experiment was to find which clumping cat litter worked the best. In order to

understand this experiment one must understand the different types of cat litter and the chemical

composition of cat urine, and its effects on clumping cat litter. It was hypothesized that if different types

of cat litter are tested on clumping ability, then the pine will work the best. When the fibers in pine get

wet they retract and during this they catch each other forming an interlacing clump. This is the reason

pine will clump the best. The materials that were used were different types of litter including;

clay(clumping and non clumping), corn, pine, and paper. Each type of cat litter was placed into a pan and

had ¼ of a cup of water poured on it and then measured before and after it was scooped. The steps

were done with each type of cat litter. After testing it was found that the clumping clay and corn litters

performed the best and were equally matched while the pine litter placed last with no clumping ability.

The non-clumping clay litter performed poorly also . This information is important for the everyday

consumer and pet owner.

Micaela Schempf Amounts of Electrolytes in Sports Drinks vs. Natural Drinks CHE ANAL

There have been long-standing debates on the benefit of sports drinks for hydration. Athletes across the

world use sports drinks to help hydrate themselves throughout practices or long workouts. Recently,

many people are saying that natural drinks are even better than sports drinks at replenishing

electrolytes to hydrate. This project seeks to prove which is better by testing the current in each. For the

sports drink, I used Gatorade and for the natural drink, I used coconut water. A multimeter was

connected to a battery and a straw using alligator clips, battery clips, and copper wire. The multimeter

tested the current through the straw in milli-amps. The higher the current is, the better conductance the

drink has which means that there are more electrolytes. This test was conducted four times on three

different days. I tested distilled water, tap water, coconut water, and Gatorade. The end of the testing

showed a tremendous amount of electrolytes in the natural drink compared to the amount in the sports

drink. My hypothesis was that coconut water will have a higher amount of conductance than the sports

drink because it has more electrolytes. My hypothesis was supported, in turn supports the conclusion

that natural drinks like coconut water have a higher amount of electrolytes than a sports drink like

Gatorade to hydrate the consumer better.

Nick Hakes The Effect of Wrappers on the Melting Rate of Chocolate CHE ANAL

My project, ‘The Effect of Wrappers on the Melting Rate of Chocolate,’ is a chemistry project focused on

finding a better overall solution to the chocolate wrapper. The goal of my experiment was to find a

wrapper that could withstand higher temperatures while still remaining cost effective. The idea came

from problems in Africa where companies lose hundreds of millions every year due to melted chocolate.

My hypothesis was that if I used a stronger, thicker wrapper, then the Hershey's milk chocolate would

take longer to melt. I tested a wide variety of wrapping materials, such as aluminum foil and newspaper,

and wrapped them over a single uniform square of a Hershey milk chocolate bar. I then tested the time

it took for the chocolate, not the wrapper, to reach the universal melting point of 30 degrees celsius. No

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current chocolate wrapper averaged above 90 seconds, while newspaper won overall with a 165 second

average. I also tested two layered wrappers, with one being newspaper and the current Hershey

wrapper. This combination proved to be a strong choice with a 185 second average. I also researched

and took into consideration things like environmental impact, safety, ease of mass production, and the

price per metric ton. Overall, the current Hershey chocolate wrapper proved to be an inadequate

wrapper, while layered wrappers and materials such as newspaper proved to be great solutions. The

impact of this experiment is large, as it opens the door for the improvement of the current chocolate

wrapper.

Katie Arendt Do the active ingredients affect the hold time of hairspray? CHE ANAL

The active ingredient in hairspray is a fixative. A fixative can be a polymer, copolymer, type of gum, or

sugar. The hypothesis was that the hairspray with the most copolymers will have the longest hold time.

A single strand of hair was knotted around a dowel. Then it was slipped off and sprayed with one of

seven hairsprays. After drying for an hour, the hair was cut. A timer was started. When the bottom

pieces of hair touched, the timer was stopped. The time recorded was the hold time. The hairspray with

the longest hold time was the best. Hairspray A had the longest hold time, and Hairspray G made with

sugar and water had the worst hold time. Hairspray A had two copolymers, while Hairspray G had none.

My hypothesis was partially supported. The hairspray with the most copolymers did have the longest

hold time, but the rest were not in order of number of copolymers.

Siva Keerthi Pelluru Vitamin C in Organic Vs. Inorganic Fruits CHE ANAL

The purpose of doing my experiment was to see if there was really more Vitamin C in the organic fruits

than the conventional fruit. This experiment could help society see if there was really more nutritional

value in organic fruits.

Vitamin C is also called ascorbic acid. It is vital for the immune system, and helps healing wounds.

Vitamin C deficiency can cause scurvy, so it is important to consume the proper amount.

My hypothesis was if four different organic fruits and their conventional counterparts are analyzed with

a Vitamin C redox titration then the organic fruits will have more Vitamin C. The procedure of doing this

experiment is a method called titration. There is three substances used: the indicator, the tirant, and the

solution. The indicator is the soluble starch. When all the Vitamin C is bound, the excess triode turns the

indicator dark.

My results supported my hypothesis; which is if four organic and conventional fruits are tested, the

results were there was greater Vitamin C in the organic fruits than then the conventional. The

conventional apple had an average of three mg of Vitamin C, while the organic apple had an average of

four mg. The conventional orange had 33 mg of Vitamin C while the organic orange had 4o mg. Also,

the organic kiwi had 38 mg of Vitamin C, however the conventional kiwi had only 31 mg. Finally, the

conventional banana had 10 mg of Vitamin C, while the organic banana had 14 mg of Vitamin C."

Emily Yacapraro Which carpet stain remover removes stains the best? CHE ANAL

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This project is to determine which carpet stain remover removes stains the best. Carpet squares will be

stained with mud, ketchup and grape juice. The carpet squares will have a designated amount of stain

applied to them and will soak and be scrubbed for a designated amount of time. Each carpet stain

remover will receive an average score. A carpet ranking system will be used to score the removal of the

stain. All of the carpet stain removers scored well on the removal of grape juice but the homemade

carpet stain remover had the best overall score for all three stains.

Vishakha Gupte Acidity of Organic and Non-Organic Produce CHE ANAL

The controversy over buying organic versus non-organic food is widespread and heavily discussed, and it

is often wondered if the additional price is worth the health benefits of buying organically. The aim of

this experiment is to see if there is a difference in the acidity of organic and non-organic produce. It was

predicted that there would be no major difference in the acidity of the organic and non-organic

produce. In this experiment, a blender, a pH meter, distilled water, and eight different fruits and

vegetables were used. The hypothesis was supported by the results. The most notable difference was a

small 0.23. It may not be worth spending the extra money to buy organic if acidity is the main concern

of the consumer as there is no major difference. This experiment is significant because it can help

people decide if organic produce is the right option for them.

Julia Pei Hydrophobic paper spray mass spectrometry to detect illicit drugs CHE ANAL

The objective of this project was to optimize the new method of hydrophobic paper spray mass

spectrometry. In paper spray ionization (PSI), a sample is simply placed on a paper triangle and a high

voltage (kV) is applied to the wet paper triangle. This process releases charged micro-droplets that

contain the analyte of interest, which are then transported to the mass spectrometer (MS) for

characterization. Currently, a major problem that occurs during PSI is the matrix effect. The ‘matrix’

refers to all components in the sample other than the analyte(s) of interest; they tend to overshadow

the analyte, creating noise in the mass spectrum. It was hypothesized that a hydrophobic treatment of

ordinary paper could act as an extraction medium to absorb organic compounds whilst excluding

aqueous-based matrixes from the paper surface. This selective absorption was expected to make

identification of a target drug with mass spectrometry easier and more sensitive. Results from MS

analysis of benzoylecgonine (289.33 g/mol) showed that at both 4 kV and 2.5 kV, there were higher

relative abundances of benzoylecgonine when using treated hydrophobic paper than the untreated

paper. This suggests that the hydrophobic paper was able to selectively absorb the drug of interest and

increase the efficacy of paper spray mass spectrometry. This research is important because it could

allow for in-situ sample (e.g., urine and blood) preparation, a capability that has obvious implication in

field analysis using portable MS instruments. The clinical application of this research would be

therapeutic drug monitoring from untreated bio-fluids.

Jacob Richards Which Brand of Orange Juice Has the Most Vitamin C? CHE ANAL

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I wanted to see what the best brand of orange juice was for my family to buy. I tested the amounts of

Vitamin C in different brands of orange juice. I thought Tropicana would be best.

I used a method called titration to test each juice. It involved a test solution of info phenol, test tubes,

droppers, and ten different types of orange juice. I tested each of the orange juices three times and

recorded the averages. The test was to see how many drops of juice it would take to turn the undo

phenol test solution from deep blue to crystal clear.

The Old Orchard brand frozen orange juice had the most Vitamin C and the Minute Maid brand orange

juice had the least.

My hypothesis was wrong.

Lauren Garan Lip Balm Chemistry CHE ANAL

The purpose of my project is to see which ingredients added to a basic lip balm formula is most

appealing to the consumer. I chose this project because I am interested in chemistry and think that

when you are testing different formulas you could possibly invent something new.

The idea is to test different formulas of lip balm to see if the consumer prefers texture, scent or the way

a product looks.

Formula one was the basic recipe. It contained tea tree oil, beeswax, petroleum jelly, pure honey,

vitamin E oil and Vitamin E cream. The second formula contained all of the ingredients from formula one

plus peppermint oil and one drop of red food coloring. Formula three had the additive of sweet orange

oil with orange coloring. In formula four I added vanilla and red coloring.

My results were that formula three was the testers favorite because it had the best scent and color.

Even though it had the same moisturizing effect as the other formulas.

I conclusion I found that my hypothesis was correct I thought that the consumer would prefer color and

scent over moisture and texture. I found out during the process of making the lip balm that the beeswax

when heated does not absorb the food coloring well. I will probably continue to create other lip balm

recipes since I found the project to be such an excitement.

Heather Milliron How Permanent is a Permanent Marker? CHE ANAL

This project was to see if a permanent marker is actually permanent. A Sharpie Pro marker was used in

this project. The hypothesis is that a Sharpie Pro marker is not permanent. The hypothesis was proven

correct. Sixty marks were put on a sheet of glass. The following six cleaners, 409, Clorox Cleanup,

Windex, Method, Simple Green, and vinegar were used on ten different marks each. My control was

using the same amount of cleaner on each mark. Also using the same type of cloth and wiping only one

time. I also used glass as my only testing surface. Possible errors could have been splattering of cleaner

when applying it to the mark, and the thickness and length of the mark drawn. The importance of this

project was to test whether a marker labeled permanent is actually permanent on a nonporous surface

such as glass.

Bailey Kreft Cookies - Changing Ingredients CHE ANAL

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I am testing whether changing the consistency of the ingredients in the recipe, how will it affect the

taste and appearance of the cookie. The purpose of this experiment is to determine how important each

ingredient is in the recipe. The hypothesis is based using a controlled recipe and changing 3 key

ingredients to determine any changes.

To begin the experiment, the first step is to make the original cookie first. The second batch will replace

baking soda for baking powder, using the same measurement. The third batch, will have an increase of

flour from 1 cup 2 tablespoons to 2 cups of flour. The final batch will replace the room temperature

butter with melted butter. Each batch will be baked at 350 degrees for ten minutes. There will be taste

testers who blindly review each cookie based on taste and appearance, with a final tally to determine

what batch tasted and looked the best.

The original hypothesis that the original controlled cookie batch would taste and appear visually the

best was not correct. Based upon the reviews of the testers, the batch that received the most praise for

taste and appearance was batch number four.

The overall answer to the hypothesis was that the melted butter made for the best tasting and

appearance out of the cookie batches. The controlled batch was a close second. The third favorite

cookie was replacing baking soda with baking powder. The least favorite cookie was the increased flour

cookie.

Jordan Copeland Plop Plop Fizz Fizz - The Effect of Temperature on Reaction Time CHE ANAL

Effervescent tablets have a chemical reaction when dropped into water. I want to figure out if you can

change how fast they dissolve by changing the temperature of water.

Kelsey Bowman Detergent Debate: Which is most efficient? CHE ANAL

Stains can ruin everything from clothes, furniture, to carpets. Everyone has stained an object that was

important to them. The purpose of this project was to find the best original liquid laundry detergent to

remove stains. Three detergents were used Tide, Dreft, and Gain. It was hypothesized that Tide would

remove the chocolate syrup stain in the least amount of washes because Tide has the ingredient

hydrogen peroxide which is a bleach that supports the cleaning cycle by removing the color of the stain.

To conduct this experiment twelve white T-shirt squares were cut out with a cardboard square

template. The experimenter chose these samples to apply the stain, because the stain will appear more

visible on a white T-shirt rather than a colored shirt. The chocolate syrup was chose because the stain is

liquid so it will soak into the fabric. Two milliliters of chocolate syrup was placed on each square to equal

twenty four milliliters that was used in the experiment. Six medical syringes were used to apply 2

milliliters on each of the squares. The samples were placed in the washers and washed for 45 minutes

per each wash. The experimenter stopped washing the control group after the fourth wash. The water

would not remove the stain because the water lacked chemicals and surfactants. The hypothesis of Tide

removing the stain in the least amount of washes was proven correct. Choosing a laundry detergent may

seem trivial, but it is still an important decision.

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Kayla Butler The Flammability of Different Treated Woods Used to Build a Barn CHE ANAL

Every year, there is an average of 200 horses that will die in a barn fire. Barn fires can be started by

many little items like cigarettes, lightning, or sparks from chewed wires, which ignites hay and stall

beddings and the pine wood of the walls. In this experiment, three different fireproof sealants were

tested to see which is the most effective at not igniting and burning. Fifteen pine wood rods treated in

Great Stuff Fireblock, fifteen pine wood rods in Valspar Fireproof Spray Paint, and fifteen pine wood

rods in Valspar Barn and Fence Acrylic Latex Paint were tested and timed when burned. Valspar Barn

and Fence Acrylic Paint had the least time to ignite with 17.49 seconds and the shortest extinguishing

rate at 1.40 second results while Valspar Fireproof Spray Paint had the fastest time to ignite with 7.46

seconds and longest time extinguishing at 16.06 seconds results. It is able to be seen that Valspar Barn

and Fence Acrylic Paint is best to use to limit the spread of fire in barns.

Nidhi Marpadga Can Baking Soda be a substitute for Baking Powder in a Recipe? CHE

ANAL

Have you ever ran out of baking powder but wanted to use baking soda but don’t know how much to

put in? Well I conducted a test with muffins using baking powder just like a normal recipe should and

then used different proportions of baking soda and Cream of Tartar to make the same final product. I

was trying to produce baking powder with proportions of baking soda and Cream of Tartar. You need to

use cream of Tartar with baking soda to produce baking powder because in baking powder there is

baking soda and a dry acid. To substitute that dry acid we use Cream of Tartar. From my results I learned

that you can use ½ tsp of Cream of Tartar and ½ tsp of Baking Soda to make almost the same recipe.

Now you have to remember that you have to use the same amount of baking powder to baking soda

and Cream of Tartar put together. So how much ever baking Powder you need use half the amount of

Baking Soda and half the amount of Cream of Tartar to make your recipe work similarly. Now baking

powder is a leavening agent which means to make it rise. So you would use this for breads, muffins, etc.

So next time you need to make a recipe that involves using stuff you don’t have like baking powder

don’t hesitate to use the substitutions above.

Kaylynn Yockey Diaper Absorbency CHE ANAL

The purpose of this project was to see which diaper would absorb the most when using tap water or a

sodium chloride solution. The expected result was that Pampers® brand would be the most absorbent.

The actual experiment involved keeping a record of the absorbency of four brands of diaper using tap

water and sodium chloride solution. This was done by pouring a specific amount of water over a specific

amount of time onto a diaper then letting it sit for another specific amount of time then letting water

drip off and measuring the water and subtracting it from the original amount.

After this project the data collected shows that Pampers® brand absorbed the most. This proved my

hypothesis to be correct.

Brianna DeChristopher Which Toothpaste Whitens Best? CHE ANAL

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The purpose of this project is to see which toothpaste whitens teeth the best. Unglazed tiles were

soaked in tea overnight. Then, toothpaste was applied to the tiles to determine which removed more of

the tea stains. The results showed Crest 3D White worked the best at whitening and removing stains

from the tiles. The hypothesis was disproved because it was hypothesized that Colgate Optic White

would work the best at removing stains.

Taylor Schneider How To Not Air Your Dirty Laundry CHE ANAL

My project was called ‘How To Not Air Your Dirty Landry’. I tested for my question which stain remover

gets stains out the best. I tested bleach, OxiClean, and a mix of baking soda and peroxide. The stain

removers were tested on three stains; ketchup, mustard, and grape juice. I first stained the cut up t-

shirt swatches with the three types of stains and let them set overnight. I washed them on the same

settings for all stains for one hour and one minute. The swatches were then dried and I proceeded to

rank them on a scale one to five; with one being poor, two to four for good, and a five for excellent. As I

stated in my hypothesis, bleach was the most successful at the stain removal.

Yalini Ramamoorthy Vitamin C in Oranges CHE ANAL

Vitamin C helps the body maintain tissue, bones, blood vessels, and skin. With Vitamin C, you can

prevent, immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, skin problems, etc. The purpose of our

project is to define the Vitamin C levels in the oranges we have chosen.

Procedure:

Prior to experiment, crush 50 mg of a vitamin C tablet into 20 mL of water and use as control/constant.

Juice orange.

Pour 50 mL of juiced orange into labeled cup.

Pour an amount of iodine into another cup.

Use eyedropper to to release 1 mL of iodine at a time into the juice.

Use a table to keep track of any color change observed in the juice.

Record when the juice turns into the color of the iodine on your table.

Use the equation (50/amount of iodine it took for the reference) *amount of iodine it took for the juice=

amount of vitamin C(mg)/50 mL

Simplify the answer to get an accurate measurement of how much vitamin C there is in the orange per

mL.

Repeat this process for all the oranges.

The orange with the highest final answer has the most vitamin C.

In conclusion, the Valencia orange has the greatest amount of Vitamin C with 2.6 mg/mL of juice.The

orange with the least amount of vitamin C was the Blood orange, with only 1 mg of vitamin C per mL of

juice. We also calculated the average of the 2 trials and determined the winner using that table as well.

Makenna Korzan The Analysis of Calcium in Water CHE ANAL

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I learned that different places have a different amount of calcium in their water. So far, the amount of

calcium is different for every place. With a softener, you could have no calcium left in your water. I

wanted to find out how much calcium is in five different locations in Ohio. During the experiment, I

loved to see the water change colors. When it changed to a brandy color to blue, it was interesting to

see how fast that it would change. After boiling the water sample for five minutes, I put in fifteen drops

of sodium hydroxide. I then put a few drops of calcon indicator which turned the water to a brandy color

in a couple of seconds. Finally I put in EDTA which turned the color to blue.

The samples that were collected have not been filtered. The Ottawa water had the most amount of

calcium with 177 parts per million. The Elyria sample has the least with 20.2 parts per million of calcium.

The samples with more calcium took longer to change blue than samples with less. Also, the samples

with more calcium took longer to stay blue and not change back to the brandy color. It would be useful

for everyone to know because calcium damages your appliances. I thought that the amount of calcium

in the water would fall in between 50 and 80 parts per million. Some were above while others were

below my hypothesis.

Robert Chesonis Which 100% Fruit Juice Containing Vitamin C is Most Beneficial? CHE

ANAL

Which one hundred percent fruit juice containing vitamin C is most beneficial? Orange juice would be

the juice of choice, of course, it helps fight the common cold due to its vitamin C content. To prove this

theory correct, I decided to test which fruit juice would contain the most vitamin C. First, I made an

iodine indicator solution by mixing one tablespoon of cornstarch and water to make a paste and then

mix the paste with 250ml of water and let it boil for five minutes. Next I used a pipette and added ten

drops of the solution to 75ml of water and added iodine to the mixture until it turned purple. Apple,

orange, cran-apple, and a Hi-C juice box were the juices of choice. In small cups 5ml of the iodine

indicator solution was added along with ten drops of apple juice. I had to clean the pipette and repeat

with each individual juice. Finally, I compared the color of each mixture to determine which juice would

contain the most vitamin C. The one that was the clearest wins and the one that was the darkest shade

of green would contain the least amount of C. Unbelievably, the Hi-C juice box was the clearest and the

apple almost clear. Cran-apple turned green and the orange juice was a deep green meaning it

contained the least amount of vitamin C. My hypothesis was proven incorrect, I strongly believed the

orange juice would have contained the most vitamin C. My project has proven to be beneficial. The

next time you need a little vitamin C, drink a Hi-C juice box.

Stamatina Tolias Electrochemical Detection of Catechol by Polyeugenol Modified Electrodes

CHE ANAL

Abnormal secretion levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, particularly those in the catecholamine (1-2

dihydroxybezene) category, is a dilemma in modern day neuroscience due to the fact that they have

been linked to prevalent mental and physiological disorders. The detection of these neurotransmitters

could facilitate prognosis, diagnosis and recuperation of patients. Catechol (basis of catecholamine

molecules) exists among other substances (interferents) in the brain, like ascorbic acid. Modifying the

electrode surface or the type of electrode itself can help enhance the detection of catechol. In previous

studies testing a modified electrode surface, the modification (Poly 3-methylthiophene) has fallen apart

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in solution. Thus, there is also a need for modification, which will not disintegrate during use. In regards

to these issues, the goal of the project was to modify electrodes with a polyeugenol (clear polymer)

coating and use electrochemical methods to achieve reproducible results in the detection of catechol. It

was hypothesized that the polyeugenol modification would not disintegrate and would prove an

effective modification for various types of working electrodes. Four different types of working

electrodes, Gold (Au), Palladium (Pd), Platinum (Pt) and Carbon (C) were modified with polyeugenol,

tested, and analyzed to determine the optimum catechol detection method in the presence of an

interferent like ascorbic acid. The results show that the Gold and Carbon electrodes were overall the

most successful in the detection of Catechol. The polyeugenol modification did not disintegrate during

use. However, it cannot be said with certainty that the results supported the hypothesis due to the fact

that during testing there was no second anodic peak. This made it impossible to differentiate whether

the only anodic peak present, illustrated the presence of ascorbic acid or catechol.

Doua Mohammad Does fabric softener make material more flammable? CHE ANAL

This experiment is to test if different fabric softeners have an impact on how easily fabric will catch on

fire. If rags are washed when using a fabric softener, then they will ignite more quickly than rags

washed without fabric softener. Additionally, flammability of the rags will vary depending on which

fabric softener has been added to the washing machine. The materials were collected and the

experiment was carried out in the driveway. One by one the fabrics were lit using a lighter placed equal

distance from each piece of fabric. Rags that had been washed with fabric softener added during the

rinse cycle ignited more quickly than rags washed without fabric softener. This was true for all 5 brands

of fabric softener. The rags washed with no fabric softener only ignited when the flame was placed

directly on the rag. All of the rags washed with fabric softener added to the rinse cycle ignited when the

flame was as far away as three inches or as close as two inches, depending on the brand of fabric

softener. This hypothesis was supported by the data.

Troy Stemen Fabric and Flammability CHE ANAL

This project seemed very interesting because I wondered if clothes burned faster depending if they have

been washed in commonly used laundry detergents or not. One of my friends had told me a story of

how their parent’s clothing once caught on fire and they ended up getting burned. I wanted to see if the

detergent they used made it so that the clothes they were wearing burned faster.

,This project I conducted proved true and the fact that laundry detergents make clothes more

flammable is accepted by my hypothesis found in the report. The problem of my project was the

amount of money I had to spend on the materials. The laundry detergents I soaked the fabrics in were:

Oxi Clean, ALL Gel Packs, Tide, Member’s Mark, and Mela Power. The fabrics I burnt were: Sweatshirt,

Polyester, Jegging, Silk, Corduroy, Cotton, Fleece, Denim, and Linen. I soaked the fabrics in the

detergents overnight, dried them, then burned each one, keeping track of burning times. I recorded the

times of each burn time with each fabric and included the data in graphs. The fact that the time of each

raw material took longer to burn than the materials soaked in detergent told me that laundry

detergents do really affect the material’s burn time. This project has given me the skills of time

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management, responsibility, and craftsmanship.

Cannon Morgan The Maximum Loading Amount of Iron Nitrate for Maximum Performance in

Sodium Ion Batteries CHE ANAL

Batteries are used every day to power hundreds and thousands of things people use. A huge majority of

these batteries are lithium ion batteries, but what many people do not know is the obtainable lithium

supply is running low in the Earth’s crust. So we need to find a new source for battery production. A new

source that will be in abundance and that will be a good source of energy is needed; sodium. The

hypothesis being tested in this experiment is that the higher the loading amount of iron nitrate, the

higher the performance of the battery will be. Fabrication of the battery using ordered mesoporous

carbons (OMC) and iron nitrate was done using equipment such as the furnace/oven and the argon gas

chamber. Batteries were created with fixed ratios of resol/OMC/carbon black. Solutions were then dried

for 24 hours and carbonized in the furnace for 3 hours at 800oC. The solutions were then cast onto

copper films and made in batteries and tested for pore size, pore population, and performance. The

results thus far in the experiment show support of the hypothesis but experimentation is still

undergoing. These results could potentially mark a change in the way we produce batteries and their

effectiveness and availability.

Iris Borgert The Effectiveness of Higher-costing, Higher SPF-valued sunscreen vs. Lower-costing,

volwer-SPF valued Sunscreen in Blocking Ultraviolet Radiation CHE ANAL che

The issue of ultraviolet radiation is a severe one. To allow people to gain valuable knowledge on the

matter, we tested the effectiveness of sunscreen in relationship to the cost. The experiment was

designed to help people learn about protection from ultraviolet radiation and learn the most effective,

yet appropriately priced, methods to avoid over exposure to radiation. In our experimentation, SPF 15,

30, and 50 sunscreen in three different brands each was tested against ultraviolet radiation from an

ultraviolet lamp. During the experiment, one type of sunscreen was coated onto a sheet of glass. The

glass was then put into a wooden box in between the ultraviolet lamp and an ultraviolet meter, which

picks up the amount of ultraviolet radiation present. The UV light was turned on, and the UV meter

detected the amount of ultraviolet radiation that passed through the glass and sunscreen. With the

results, we discovered that SPF 30 and SPF 50 sunscreen protect nearly equally from harmful ultraviolet

rays. With this observation, it is proven that people can buy less expensive SPF 30 sunscreen over more

expensive SPF 50 sunscreen and still be safely shielded from UVR, which can cause many unwanted

diseases. In the current time of economic crisis, the little things can help, and knowing this proven

theory may help people use their money in the most useful way.

Bonnie Simpkins Teeth Discoloration: Analysis of Commonly Consumed Beverages and

Resulting Stains to Teeth CHE ANAL,GENE

Teeth Discoloration: Analysis of Commonly Consumed Beverages and Resulting Stains to Teeth

The researchers or Bonnie Sueanne Simpkins and Cortney Nicole Brown wrote their report about the

yellowing of your teeth and what causes it. The researchers used cola, unsweetened tea, medium roast

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coffee, distilled water. Hollowed eggs were used to represent teeth. The hypothesis of this project was

that cola will yellow your teeth faster than distilled water, unsweetened tea or the medium roast coffee.

The results were that the cola did yellow the eggs faster than the distilled water, unsweetened tea and

the medium roast coffee. The researchers had to look up the acids in cola so that they could find out

why the cola caused more yellowing than the coffee or tea. Next the researchers had to find out what

chemicals in coffee caused the yellowing. They also discovered that the tea only yellowed the eggs a

little bit. The researchers found out that tea has ingredients that may help prevent cancer and diabetes.

The researchers found distilled water did nothing to affect the color of the eggs."

Isabella Hoffman How to best preserve and avocado CHE Analitical

What substance help preserve better an open avocado.

Nicholas Ziegelmeyer The Caloric Values of Common Nuts CHE Analytical

Calorimeters have been used for many years to determine the caloric value of certain food and

nutritional matter. This experiment was conducted so that the caloric values of pecans, walnuts,

almonds, and cashews could be found. By doing this, it was possible to determine which of these nuts

has the highest caloric value.

The hypothesis of this experiment stated that out of four common types of nuts, pecans would contain

the most thermal energy since they contain more lipids than the other nuts. Walnuts would contain the

second largest amount of thermal energy, and almonds and cashews both would contain the least

energy. This hypothesis was tested in four trials - one each for pecans, walnuts, almonds, and cashews.

In each trial, a weighed nut was placed on top of a needle and placed inside the calorimeter. Heat was

applied until the nut had a self-sustaining flame. Then, a container that had a specific amount of water

in it was suspended above the burning nut, and the maximum temperature difference of the water was

recorded. This process was repeated five times for each nut. The results were averaged and used to

find the average caloric value of each nut. Finally, the caloric value of each nut was compared against

each other.

The hypothesis of this project proved to be correct, because pecans had the greatest average caloric

value, 4.2 Calories. Walnuts had 3.8 Calories, the second highest caloric value, followed by almonds,

which had 3.6 Calories. Cashews averaged 3.0 Calories, the lowest caloric value when compared to the

other nuts. This project has helped the world of chemistry and calorimetry by giving further information

on the caloric values of pecans, walnuts, almonds, and cashews.

John-Paul Bugada Electrolyte Challenge CHE Analytical Chemistry

Your body loses electrolytes through sweat when exercising, and they should be replaced. Sports drinks

are a good source of electrolytes and are commonly used to replenish electrolytes after exercising.

Electrolyte concentration is directly proportional to a solution’s conductivity. In this study, a multimeter

was used to measure the conductivity of several test solutions. The solutions tested included different

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waters, sports drinks, teas, orange juice, Pedialyte drinks, and energy drinks. The hypothesis for this

study was that Gatorade had the highest electrolyte content. The results show that orange juice and the

Pedialyte drinks have more electrolytes than sports drinks. However, these drinks are not suitable for

rehydrating after exercise. The sports drink with the highest electrolyte content was Powerade Zero,

closely followed by Hoist Perfectly Isotonic Drink and Kirkland Signature Sport (lemon lime). The drink

that gave the most electrolytes per cost was the Kirkland Signature Sport (lemon lime), making it the

most cost effective drink that replenishes electrolytes.

Layali Kusuni The Effects Of Substituting Baking Soda For BAking Powder When BAking MUffins

CHE Analytical Chemistry (Consumer Science)

I chose this project because I think it is very helpful to see if you really can substitute ingredients. The

problem I investigated was if you can substitute ingredients when baking. Also I wanted to see the

difference between baking soda and baking powder. I thought the taste was going to be the same but

the shape would be different. I used all ingredients to make my muffins but substituted baking soda for

baking powder in one of the batters. My results were that none of the testers thought the muffins

tasted similar. Also, the color was very different. There was a big effect on changing the ingredients such

as taste, texture and color. The importance of this research project was to see if changing a fourth of a

teaspoon of an ingredient would make a difference in a recipe, and sure enough, it did!

Lily Logsdon Which Brand of Laundry Detergent Will Take Out a Red Wine Stain the Best?

CHE CHE

The topic question for this project is ‘which type of laundry detergent takes out a red wine stain out of a

white table cloth the best?’The hypothesis is if we soak the pieces of table cloth with the same amount

of red wine in three top selling laundry detergent brands: Tide, OxiClean, and Cheer, then the stain will

be decreased or removed by the OxiClean brand of detergents. The test consisted of three laundry

detergents Tide, OxiClean, and Cheer also water, red wine, and 48% polyester and 52% cotton blend

table cloth. Polyester and cotton are crucial materials in the fabric and garment. Polyester-Cotton blends

are created by employing industrial weavers, and looms to combine the two fibers, blend ratios typically

range from 65% cotton and 35% polyester to a 50-50 mix. The biggest thing about OxiClean is that there

is Hydrogen Peroxide in the laundry detergent. The Hydrogen Peroxide makes little bubbles to take the

stain out of the piece of table cloth with the red wine stain. The results were that OxiClean was the best

at removing the red wine stain then Cheer was the second best and third was Tide. The data did support

the hypothesis. The independent variable is the different brands of laundry detergent. The dependent

variable is the amount of the stain left in the table cloth. To make this experiment better use a specific

agitation motion and strength to mix the detergent with the pieces of the red wine stained table cloth.

Katelyn Konecny Sugar and Its Alternates, Is There a Difference? CHE GEN

This experiment explores the way the sweeteners, sucrose, sucralose, and stevia at various

temperatures affect yeast in bread dough. Yeast rises in a process called fermentation. The yeast

converts sugars and starches into carbon dioxide, that then is trapped in the gluten of the dough. It

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expands, making the dough rise. The problem is whether the type of sweetener affects how high yeast

rises in a temperature between 70°F and 100°F. The hypothesis is that if sucrose is used at a

temperature of 100°F to activate the yeast, then the height will increase the most because yeast is

more active in higher temperatures, due especially to the fermenting of the sucrose that feeds yeast. An

oven was constructed out of cardboard, duct tape, foil, and a plastic window. Each recipe had flour, salt,

yeast, water, and a sweetener. Each recipe had five trials in each temperature for one hour. In each

temperature, the sucrose rose the highest, then sucralose, and last stevia. The 100°F temperature

performed the best. The sucrose rose the highest because it provides food for the yeast, while the

others lacked that. When bread is being made, knowing the right sweetener and temperature to help

the yeast rise most efficiently will benefit companies economically, as well as bakeries and individuals in

taste and appearance.

Rithu Rajagopala The Effects of Temperature on Luminol CHE GENE

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of temperature on the glow of luminol, a chemical

which detectives use to see blood splatters. Two cups were set up, each with a small scoop of the

luminol mixture, perborate mixture, and copper sulfates. Ice cold water was then poured into one of the

cups while hot water was poured into the other. They were both timed with a stop watch to determine

how long the luminol’s glow lasted in each mixture. A total of four trials were conducted and the timings

were averaged for the cold water and the hot water. The luminol’s glow consistently lasted longer with

cold water in the first three trials. Throughout the experiment, the glow of luminol was consistently

brighter than it was in the cold water. In the fourth trial, the glow with the hot water lasted longer

instead. This was because the mixture was not stirred when the water was poured in, therefore the

substance did not spread evenly in the water like in the previous trials. It is possible if the experiment

was taken further, the amount of copper sulfate could be changed for both the hot and cold water to

lengthen or shorten the duration of the glow. As my data displays, the luminol’s glow lasted longer in

cold water, although it was brighter in hot water.

Adam Bockhorst The Fastest Way to Cool a Soda CHE GENE

The purpose of this science fair project is to find the fastest way to cool a soda if left in the cupboard

before drinking. If one is cutting grass on a hot summer day and wants a cold soda, but it was left in the

cupboard, what would be the fastest way to cool the soda? By putting it in a freezer, a refrigerator, an

ice-only bath, or an ice-water bath? The hypothesis for this project states that the ice-water bath would

cool the soda the fastest. The constants and controls in this experiment are: the room temperature, the

time (5 minutes), the amount of soda, and the thermometers. The variables in this experiment are: how

fast the soda cools down, and the change in the temperature. These are the dependent variables. The

independent variables are what is used to cool the soda: the freezer, the refrigerator, the ice, and the

ice water. The way the dependent variable will be measured is by using thermometers. The results of

this experiment indicate that the ice-water bath cooled the soda the fastest. The results show that the

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hypothesis should be considered true because the ice-water bath cooled the soda the fastest. If this

experiment were to be done again in the future or be expanded, water could be used instead of soda.

Shifra Narasimhan Shedding Light On Molecular Interactions CHE GENE

The purpose of this experiment is to investigate and understand the interaction among NaCl, sucrose

and water in a multiple-solute solution in terms of how it affects the overall refractive index of the

solution. This is meant as a first step towards the eventual goal of being able to detect the sugar

concentration in a liquid in the presence of other ingredients such as salt. Various molalities of solutions

containing different percentages of sucrose and NaCl were prepared and their refractive indices were

experimentally determined by measuring the deviation of a laser light beam as it refracts through a

hollow glass prism containing the liquid. Solutions containing just NaCl showed a linear increase in

refractive index with increasing molality whereas the solutions containing just sucrose showed a non-

linear increase in refractive index for the same changes in molality. By taking a weighted sum of the

refractive indices for NaCl and sucrose, expected refractive indices were computed for different

percentages of sucrose and NaCl in the solution. These expected refractive indices were then compared

to measured refractive indices taking into account the potential errors in the measurement of refractive

index. The results confirm that the refractive index of a solution is influenced by molecular factors. The

results indicate that the refractive index for the sucrose and NaCl solution deviates from the expected

value at certain molalities. This deviation is maximum when the NaCl and sucrose are equal in

percentage, indicating that the NaCl and sucrose molecules interact with each other to produce this

additional increase in refractive index. The results also indicate that this deviation in refractive index is

more pronounced at higher molalities.

Verena Manolis The Effects of Coffee on Tooth Enamel CHE GENE

The purpose of this experiment is to test the effects of coffee on tooth enamel. Acid, which is naturally

in coffee, erodes the enamel. The amount of acid in coffee depends on the amount of time it is roasted.

The lighter the roast is, the more acid present. Seven teeth were divided into seven conditions based on

the type and amount of coffee: light roast (tablespoon and teaspoon), dark roast (tablespoon and

teaspoon), decaf (tablespoon and teaspoon), and a control. Before and after the experiment, each tooth

was weighed to the hundredth gram as a measure of enamel erosion. Coffee was left on the teeth

twenty minutes daily for seven days. Results showed that the tooth exposed to the greater amount of

light roast coffee decreased its weight. No other conditions showed this decrease. Instead, the other

teeth exposed to coffee increased in weight. This increase may have been due to build-up occurring on

the teeth, making detection of enamel loss difficult to interpret. The decrease in one condition may have

been caused by the high acidity levels of the light roast coffee canceling out the added weight of the

coffee build-up. The data suggests there may be a negative effect of a higher acidity, lighter roast coffee

on tooth enamel.

Grace Nelson The Effects of Coffee on Tooth Enamel CHE GENE

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The purpose of this experiment is to test the effects of coffee on tooth enamel. Acid, which is naturally

in coffee, erodes the enamel. The amount of acid in coffee depends on the amount of time it is roasted.

The lighter the roast is, the more acid present. Seven teeth were divided into seven conditions based on

the type and amount of coffee: light roast (tablespoon and teaspoon), dark roast (tablespoon and

teaspoon), decaf (tablespoon and teaspoon), and a control. Before and after the experiment, each tooth

was weighed to the hundredth gram as a measure of enamel erosion. Coffee was left on the teeth

twenty minutes daily for seven days. Results showed that the tooth exposed to the greater amount of

light roast coffee decreased its weight. No other conditions showed this decrease. Instead, the other

teeth exposed to coffee increased in weight. This increase may have been due to build-up occurring on

the teeth, making detection of enamel loss difficult to interpret. The decrease in one condition may have

been caused by the high acidity levels of the light roast coffee canceling out the added weight of the

coffee build-up. The data suggests there may be a negative effect of a higher acidity, lighter roast coffee

on tooth enamel.

Kristin Duma Sweet as a Tree: The Chemistry of Maple Syrup Candy CHE Gene

Maple syrup is made from the sap gathered from maple trees during the sugaring season. The sap is

then boiled until most of the water has evaporated leaving mainly sugar. The maple syrup can then be

processed into many sweet treats such as candy, jellies, and butter. The goal of this experiment is to

study the affect of heat on maple syrup when making maple syrup candy. The hypothesis is that the

increasing heat will cause more sugar crystals to form, crating a harder candy. During the experiment,

maple syrup was heated to five different temperatures in a pot to detect the difference in the

consistencies. At each temperature, three samples were taken and then had ten tests done on each

sample. The results showed that as the temperature increased the candies formed were harder, less

sticky, darker in color, not transparent, more caramelized, and not flexible. The conclusion is that the

temperature does affect the sugar crystals in the candy and the consistency of the candy. The

importance is that this experiment will detect the perfect temperature to cook maple syrup in the

process of making candy.

Nicole Semro What's my Water? - Testing the hardness and softness of water. CHE GENE

My report is on the hardness and softness of different types of water. My hypothesis is that I think that

mineral water will be the hardest water and city water will be the softest. I tested my hypothesis by

doing an experiment with soap suds. First, I got different water samples such as city water, well water,

bottled water, and mineral water. Then, I put each water sample in a bottle with the dish soap. I shook

the bottle for 15 seconds to find out the height of the soap suds. I tested each type of water 3 times. I

found that mineral water had the least amount of suds with an average height of 1 5/8 inches. I found

that Sylvania city water suds averaged 3 5/7 inches.

The data I collected supported my hypothesis. In conclusion, mineral water is the hardest water and

city water is the softest.

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Angelina Dennerll Which Stain Remover is Most Effective on Removing Coffee Stains

CHE GENE

Our project was set up to find out ‘Which stain remover is most effective on removing coffee stains?’

Our hypothesis is that Brand A will work best on removing the coffee from our shirts.

We first cut a 100% cotton shirt into 6 inch by 6 inch pieces. We then roasted our coffee and let it sit

until room temperature. After the coffee was room temperature, we got our 3 measuring spoons and

used them to measure out tablespoons of coffee for each piece of fabric. Beforehand, we had set a

timer for 5 minutes and started it as soon as we had poured the coffee onto the pieces of fabric. The

coffee was left to sit for that amount of time.

Immediately after the timer ended, we applied 2 tablespoons of each different stain remover onto the

separate fabrics, and let the stain removers soak into the stains for 3 minutes. As soon as the timer was

done, we had our gloves on and set to work on pulling both sides of the fabric up and scrubbing for a

total of 3 minutes. We then stirred the fabric in separate cups of water, and then let them air dry. We

observed our work afterwards.

At the end of our procedure, our project confirmed that Product A was most effective on removing

coffee stains. It is now clear that Product A is the stain remover to use.

Haley Reedy Freezing Point Depression CHE GENE

When making old fashioned ice cream with a hand crank machine, ice and rock salt are combined to

lower the freezing point of natural ice. This procedure is used to freeze the cream inside of the machine,

creating ice cream. When roads are icy, salt trucks spread salt over roads in hope of lowering the

temperature at which water freezes. This way ice can melt when the temperature is below the average

freezing point of water. In both cases, the salt is attempting to lower the temperature at which water

freezes; this temperature is known as the freezing point. When a substance is added and the freezing

point drops, this is known as freezing point depression. Freezing point depression occurs in all solutions.

A solution is a homogenous mixture that consists of a solute dissolving in a solvent. In this experiment,

the salt is the solute and the water is the solvent. To determine how much the solute will lower the

freezing point of the solution three things need to be considered; the molality of the solution, the van't

Hoff factor of the solute, and the molal freezing-point-depression constant of the solvent. This

background will examine the uses of freezing point depression, the strength of solutes, and the

equations used to test these strengths. Lastly it will describe the procedure for the experiment, the data,

and the results.

Joseph Herlihy The Use of Ultraviolet Beads to Study the Effect of Temperature & Color upon

Chemical Reaction Rates CHE GENE

The project’s purpose was to use the ultraviolet radiation and photochromic chemical reactions to study

the affect of temperature and color of chemical reaction rates. Ultraviolet radiation, photochromic

chemical reactions, and chemical reactions were studied. A photochromic chemical reaction occurs

when eyeglasses or jewelry change from clear to colored in sunlight. A reverse reaction occurs when

they return to colorless out of the sunlight. The UV radiation from sunlight is the energy used in this

experiment to cause the chemical reaction to occur. Is the reaction rate influenced by the surrounding

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temperature or by the color involved in the photochromic chemical reaction? UV beads and sunlight

were used to measure chemical reaction rates. Purple, light red, and dark blue UV beads were selected,

ten beads of each color were placed in boiling, room temperature, and freezing water and left out of the

sunlight for control. The beads were removed from the sunlight, the color was observed and the time

required for the beads to return to the colorless sate was recorded. This was repeated five times for

each color. The results were averaged. UV bead color change versus time and versus temperature was

evaluated. The hypothesis stating that the chemical reaction would be faster at higher temperatures

was supported while; the hypothesis that the beads color would not have a significant impact on the

rate of reaction was not supported.

Sydney Smith Vitamin C and Juices: Which one has the most? CHE GENE

This experiment tested how much vitamin C is in six types of juices and which one has the most.

Pineapple, white grape, grapefruit, apple, orange and lime juice were used.

The hypothesis was orange juice would have the most vitamin C and lime juice would have the least.

The materials used were boiling water, cornstarch, pans, vitamin C tablet, glass cups, spoon, mallet,

plastic syringe, iodine and six different juices.

,Boiling water and cornstarch were mixed into a solution. One quarter cup of this solution was mixed

with eight drops of iodine. The juice was added to the iodine solution one milliliter at a time until the

blue color disappeared. Each juice was tested three times. A control solution of crushed vitamin C tablet

and water was also tested.

The results showed that white grape juice had the most vitamin C and the grapefruit juice had the least

vitamin C.

Maham Usmani Does pH Play a Role in Dissolving Lead CHE GENE

The purpose of this experiment is to examine the role pH plays, if any role at all, in dissolving lead; which

is an important step in detecting lead.

Lead is both a harmful and helpful element. Although it is used in long-lasting paints, it may also lead to

illnesses. Children as well as adults may experience lead poisoning when exposed to lead.

I hypothesize that the solution of white vinegar, which has the lowest pH amongst the solutions, will

dissolve lead best, due to it’s acidity.

To conduct this experiment, I will be using materials such as: plastic cups, a graduated cylinder, lead

sinkers, plastic wrap, a ‘24 Tests’ Lead Inspector Lead Test Kit, white vinegar, latex gloves, safety

goggles, pH strips, distilled water, a timer, and a graduated cylinder.

One way to determine if a household item contains lead, is to soak the item in a solution, and then test

the solution for lead that may have leached out of the item. Solutions of varying pH, such as distilled

water, and white vinegar, will be tested in their ability to dissolve lead.

After performing this experiment three times, I was able to conclude that my hypothesis was partially

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supported by my data. The white vinegar solution did successfully dissolve lead, but the 50:50 solution

dissolved lead just as well as the white vinegar solution had. This led me to the conclusion that the pH of

a solution could be as high as four, to successfully dissolve lead."

Justin Ball Does mint really cool things down? CHE GENE

The project topic is mint and temperature. The hypothesis drawn is mint will not cool things down. To

see if the hypothesis is correct, an experiment was conducted. The materials used were 6 equally sized

jars, boiled water, a thermometer, and mints (in this case Altoids). First, an equal amount of water was

poured into each jar. The temperature of the water in each jar was taken and documented. Those being;

154 degrees F, 150 degrees F, 153 degrees F, 149 degrees F, 147 degrees F, and 145 degrees F. The

temperature was then recorded every 5 minutes for 30 minutes with 3 jars having added Altoids. After

that, 3 of the jar’s temperatures were 100 degrees F, 1 jar’s temperature was 101 degrees F, and 1 jar’s

temperature was 99 degrees F. The average temperature of the jars with the Altoids was 51 degrees F

less and without the Altoids was 48 degrees F less. The difference between the 2 temperatures was

only 3 degrees F. This is not enough evidence to show mint cooled the water down.

Shelby Griffith Will a base, as opposed to an acid, dissolve a persimmon? CHE GENE

The purpose of this experiment was to determine if a base, as opposed to an acid, would dissolve a

persimmon. A local veterinarian stated that a pony had ingested persimmons and become very ill. The

owner had declined surgery to relieve the pain; therefore, the veterinarians tried a different type of

therapy to dissolve the bezoar, which included a carbonated beverage.

The pH level of a 9.63 base will dissolve a persimmon the most rather than the pH levels of 8.07, 8.13

and 8.45.

Purchase fresh persimmons from a local grocery store. Purchase several base solutions

,from a local grocery store. Test the milk of magnesia, antacid, epsom salt, and baking soda to get the

pH level. Quarter the persimmon. Weigh each quarter of persimmon, record the weight of each on an

index card, put persimmon in a bowl with the index card under. Milk of Magnesia, add 2 tablespoons to

three bowls. Antacid, add four teaspoons to three bowls. Baking soda, mix 12 ounces of water and 12

ounces of baking soda together and pour four ounces in three bowls. Epsom Salt, mix 15 ounces of

water and 12 teaspoons of epsom salt together and pour five ounces of the mixture in the three bowls.

Let sit for 24 hours. Take each slice out. Weigh each persimmon, recording the weight on the proper

index card.

Three trials were completed. Results showed that the pH level of 9.63 dissolved the persimmon more

than the pH level of 8.45, 8.13, and 8.07.

With severe cases or very large bezoars, (whether in humans or animals), surgery is the recommended

treatment; however, oral administration of a carbonated soda could be attempted without the added

expense of a surgery. The carbonated soda has been known to dissolve the bezoar in ponies and

humans.

To prevent access to the fruit and having sick animals, the best recommendation would be for people

that have ponies/horses in pastures to be sure to check the pastures carefully for persimmon trees and

discontinue use of that pasture.

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Colette Mooney Change Baking Soda Every 30 Days, Fact or Advertising? CHE GENE

The purpose of this experiment is to find out if one really needs to change their baking soda every 30

days. I wanted to find out if fresher baking soda would result in a taller muffin. My hypothesis was that

the batch of muffins made with fresher baking soda will have a greater average height than those with

older baking soda. I believe this because I think baking soda will be less effective the longer it has been

opened since it has the ability to absorb chemicals from the air. Baking soda that has already undergone

chemical reactions will not be as effective as pure baking soda. The longer the baking soda is exposed to

odors in the air, the less pure baking soda will be available for the leavening process. For my experiment

I baked four different batches of muffins and changed the age of the baking soda that I put into them. I

took the average height of 6 muffins in each batch to compare them. I also cut one muffin open from

each batch to compare the inside and how many or how big the air bubbles were. I then put the average

heights of the muffins in a graph. My results showed that on average the muffins were not that far apart

in height. The range of the averages of the batches was only 4.2 millimeters so there was only a

difference of 4.2 millimeters between all of the muffins that were baked. This proves that you do not

need to change your baking soda every 30 days.

Andrew Connair What is the Best Type of Waterproofer CHE GENE

The purpose of this project is to determine what type of water proofer, oil, wax, or spray, would work

the best. The hypothesis was that oil water proofer would work the best for both the wood and leather

and that in the end would weigh the least. The research said that oil would be the best choice because it

would seep into the material and in turn fill the pores where water could get into the leather. In the

experiment, three pieces of leather and three pieces of leather were not treated to be used as a control.

Nine pieces of wood and nine pieces of leather were water proofed and soaked for 1, 2, 3 and 24 hours.

Every half-hour, for the first three hours, the pieces were flipped to ensure all sides had been soaked

and at 1, 2, 3, and 24 hours, weighed and recorded. The results showed that the oil water proofer

worked best on the leather. However the spray worked best on the wood. The difference in results may

have been due to the lack of controlling the application of the water proofer. In conclusion, different

types of water proofer will work best on different types of materials.

Connor Sansom Lemon Lights CHE GENE

The purpose of this science fair project is to see if the amount of lemons in a lemon battery affects how

long the light lasts. The hypothesis for this project is that more lemons will affect how long the light

lasts. The constants and controls in this experiment are using the same size nails and the same size

wire. The variable in this experiment is that more lemons are used each time. The responding or

dependent variable is measured by timing how long the light stays on. The results of this experiment are

that in the one with two lemons the light lasted 19 minutes 27 seconds. With 4 lemons the light lasted 3

hours 29 minutes 27 seconds. With 6 lemons the light lasted 9 hours 50 minutes 34 seconds. With 8

lemons it lasted 45 hours 7 minutes and 53 seconds. The results show that this hypothesis should be

considered correct because the light lasted longer with more lemons. In a future experiment one could

try the experiment with limes or with a different type of bulb.

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Rachel Swick Glow Sticks: To Freeze or Not to Freeze CHE GENE

The purpose of this experiment was to find out if water temperature affects chemiluminescence in glow

sticks. To conduct this experiment, glow sticks were placed in different water temperatures:freezing,

cold, warm and, boiling, for one minute, five minutes, and one hour. The glow sticks glowed longer in

the freezing water but brighter for a shorter period of time in the hot water. This supported the

hypothesis that was made and also was the same results other people had achieved. Identifying a more

scientific technique to classify the brightness of the glow sticks, such as a light meter, would be the

biggest improvement in this scientific experiment.

Annika Margevich The Effectiveness of a Carbon Filter as a Water Purifier CHE GENE

Water purification is a necessary part of modern society; without it, our water supplies would surely

become contaminated with harmful bacteria and viruses. In order to combat these issues, water

purifiers are used in most homes and water reservoirs to ensure that our water supplies stay clean. In

this project, Tyler Richey and Annika Margevich used cations, representing contaminants, to test the

effectiveness of a carbon block filter. In order to determine a control, 100 mL of each cation was added

to the anion, Sodium phosphate, to form a precipitate that was then filtered out using filter paper and

left to dry. The previously massed paper was then re-massed in order to obtain the mass of the

precipitate. The previous steps were repeated for the next three trials; however, the cation solution was

filtered, first, through a carbon filter before being combined with the anion. The remaining chemical

solution was filtered again through filter paper to obtain the precipitate. Next, the mass of the

precipitate was determined by subtracting the mass of the original paper from the mass of the paper

and the precipitate. After completing a control, and three trials for each contaminant, the data showed

the carbon filter was not completely effective. Generally, the data showed not a decrease in the mass of

precipitate, but an increase, the opposite of what was expected or desired. All in all, the experiment

demonstrated that a carbon block is not an adequate filter when dealing with chemically contaminated

water.

Swathi Murthy Using Jmol to study the binding sites of IP3K CHE GENE

Finding a mutated gene can be a very tedious process, that if done experimentally can be very expensive

and time consuming. Computing software and combinatorial methods can be used to examine the 3D

structure of the protein before designing experiments. In this theoretical study, the effect of a gene

mutation, point mutations such as insertions and deletions were observed using the protein Inositol-

triphosphate 3-Kinase (IP3K). Torsion angles are among the most important structural parameters that

control protein folding, and an understanding of the factors that influence rotation will allow for a better

prediction of protein structure. Three measures, Phi ‘, Psi ‘ and Omega ‘, determine the torsional angle.

The specific sequence of the amino acids is essential for enzyme activity; torsion angle determines the

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sequence, as the sequence that codes for a structure that allows for most rotational freedom is typically

favored. A point mutation at an important binding site was mimicked using the computational software

and the effect on the protein structure was developed. In this study, Jmol ‘ open source software

developed by Dan Gezelter ‘ was used to study the protein primary, secondary and tertiary structure of

the protein, The software displayed the hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains by color coding which

enabled easy viewing. Protein sequence was downloaded from the Protein Database for the protein

2ODT for studying the structure. The PDB web site was used to get the amino acid sequence, and

protein binding sites. Using the text editor, the protein domains were modified (simulating the

mutation) and the protein folding structure for LYS 18 and 216 were studied. The structural changes

between the 2ODT and modified protein at 18 and 216 were displayed. Studies suggested that Jmol is a

good tool for understanding the protein structures and software can be used for understanding the

changes to protein sequence. This software can be used in many drug production facilities and also in

clinical trials for patients with diseases such as Huntington or Alzheimer. A mutated gene seen in a

patient can be found easily using 3D models, and the impact of a drug on protein structure can be

useful. Observing the impact of changing an amino acid on a 3D model can help diagnose the patient

and also develop a treatment plan.

Kelly Tobin The Effect of Different Liquids on the Dissolution Rate of Aspirin CHE GENE

The pH of the liquid taken with OTC Aspirin has effects on the rate of dissolution. The stomach has a Ph

of 1-3 which is very acidic. It was hypothesized that if OTC aspirin is taken with an acidic liquid then it

will dissolve faster than basic liquids because the stomach is acidic and aspirin dissolves in the stomach.

In this experiment, 5 different liquids were tested; tap water, milk, orange juice, pepsi and diet pepsi.

There was also a control group of Hydrochloric acid . The aspirin was placed in a mixture of the liquid

being tested and Hydrochloric Acid, which is the main component in stomach acid. The time it took to

dissolve was recorded and an average was found for each group. The results of the experiment show

that the control group was the fastest, then the tap water, diet pepsi, pepsi, orange juice and milk. The

control group’s rate of dissolution was 0:20, the tap water’s was 0:28, the diet pepsi’s was 0:33, the

pepsi was 0:39 the orange juice was 1:17 and the milk’s rate of dissolution was 3:29. It can be concluded

from the results that an acidic solution does seem to make Aspirin dissolve faster as the control group

had an acidic Ph and the slowest group, the milk, had a more basic Ph. However, the tap water group

dissolved very quickly and tap water is not acidic, so more experiments would need to be done to verify

this conclusion. Researching the behaviors of medicines, like aspirin, is very important because so many

people rely on medicine and a further understanding of medicine’s behavior will lead to advancements

that could save lives.

Tyler Richey The Effectiveness of a Carbon Filter as a Water Purifier CHE GENE

Water purification is a necessary part of modern society; without it, our water supplies would surely

become contaminated with harmful bacterias and viruses. In order to combat these issues, water

purifiers are used in most homes and water reservoirs to ensure that our water supplies stay clean. In

this project, Tyler Richey and Annika Margevich used cations, representing contaminants, to test the

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effectiveness of a carbon block filter. In order to determine a control, 100 mL of each cation was added

to the anion, Sodium phosphate, to form a precipitate that was then filtered out using filter paper and

left to dry. The previously massed paper was then re-massed in order to obtain the mass of the

precipitate. The previous steps were repeated for the next three trials; however, the cation solution was

filtered, first, through a carbon filter before being combined with the anion. The remaining chemical

solution was filtered again through filter paper to obtain the precipitate. Next, the mass of the

precipitate was determined by subtracting the mass of the original paper from the mass of the paper

and the precipitate. After completing a control, and three trials for each contaminant, the data showed

the carbon filter was not completely effective. Generally, the data showed not a decrease in the mass of

precipitate, but an increase, the opposite of what was expected or desired. All in all, the experiment

demonstrated that a carbon block is not an adequate filter when dealing with chemically contaminated

water.

Rachel Martin Will Storing Oranges Differently Affect The Vitamin C? CHE GENE

The purpose of my project is to see how different storage methods affect the level of Vitamin C in an

orange. The experiment began with taking four similar oranges and placing them in different storage

locations: freezer, refrigerator, room temperature without direct sunlight, and room temperature with

direct sunlight. After 14 days, I prepared a starch solution to use as my testing solution, adding in iodine

until the solution is a dark blue color. I then cut open each orange, squeezed out 5 ml of juice, and

added the juice to the iodine testing solution. Since the Vitamin C eats away at the iodine, the color of

the solution becomes lighter. The lighter the color, the more Vitamin C there is in the juice. My results

showed that the juice with the lower amounts of Vitamin C came from the room temperature with

direct sunlight orange and the freezer orange. Their testing solutions stayed the darkest. The two

lightest were the ones from the refrigerator and the room temperature no direct sunlight oranges. I

performed the test a second time using four oranges in each location, testing one from each location

after 4 days, 8 days, 12 days, and 16 days to see when the differences in the Vitamin C levels began to

happen. The results showed that the differences in the Vitamin C amount from the different storage

places did not start to show up until the 8th day, and became more different at the 12 and 16 day tests.

This information is helpful for farmers who need to store their oranges as they send them to other parts

of the country and for customers who buy the oranges for the health benefits of the Vitamin C.

Sarah Warnock Thermodynamics of a Supercooled Solution CHE GENE

\Sodium acetate serves as the primary substance in reusable hand warmers. When supersaturated, it

exists as a liquid at room temperature, but cavitation voids formed by applying pressure to a concave

disc within the hand warmer cause a state change that produces heat. This experiment explored the

correlation between the initial temperature of the unreacted hand warmers, their peak temperature

after reaction, and their rate of decay. The starting temperature and initial temperature increase were

inversely related; the warmers with the lowest initial temperature experienced the greatest change in

initial temperature. The total average decay for Trial 1 was 2.2 degrees Celsius; Trial 2 was 1.8 degrees

Celsius;Trial 3 was 1.3 degrees Celsius;Trial 4 was 2 degrees Celsius. However, considering the

limitations of an infrared thermometer, this variation may be negligible.

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Ryan Anthony How Does Salt Water Concentration Affect Swamp Cooler Efficiency? CHE

GENE

Salt dissolved in water raises the water’s boiling point; however, does this fact change the efficacy of a

swamp cooler? The purpose of this experiment was to see whether the different concentrations of salt

affect the temperature and humidity produced from a swamp cooler. Three solutions were made and

tested: pure distilled water, 100g NaCl/600g H2O, and 200g NaCl/600g H2O. The solutions were poured

into three identical swamp cooler apparati and the temperature and humidity in each apparatus was

recorded every two minutes for a total of 10 minutes. The data showed that the higher the salt

concentrations, the hotter the temperature and lower the humidity. The experiment demonstrated that

the lower the salt concentration, the cooler and more humid it is.

Kileigh Zielinski Baking Soda versus Baking Powder: Can Baking Soda Substitute for Baking

Powder in a Recipe? CHE GENE

What would happen if you ran out of baking powder in the middle of baking muffins, but you did have a

box of baking soda on hand? Could you still make fluffy, tasty muffins using baking soda instead of

baking powder? The purpose of this project was to determine if such a substitution could be made. Five

batches of muffins were made using the same recipe. The first batch was made using baking powder

(referred to as the control group), the second batch was made by substituting baking soda only for the

baking powder, and the three remaining batches were made by substituting different amounts of baking

soda and cream of tartar for the baking powder. While the main purpose was to determine whether

baking soda alone could be substituted for baking powder, the experiment was expanded to include

muffins made with baking soda and cream of tartar as a substitute for baking powder, since baking soda

and cream of tartar are both ingredients found in baking powder. Muffins were measured for height

and weight. While the baking soda only muffins measured the same on average with respect to height

when compared to the control group muffins, the baking soda only muffins weighed less and came out

much darker than the control group muffins. Overall, the muffins that were most like the control group

muffins in height, weight, and color were those muffins that contained both baking soda and cream of

tartar in a ½ to 1 ratio in substitution for the baking powder. The data was analyzed and the

conclusion was drawn that substituting baking soda only for baking powder in a recipe did not produce a

baked product similar to the product made with baking powder. A combination of baking soda and

cream of tartar is needed to produce a baking product similar to one made with baking powder.

Kennedy Wright The Power of Viscosity: The Way of the Flow CHE Gene

Viscosity is important to many things such as oils, volcanoes, honey, and even syrup. Viscosity is the

thickness or thinness of a liquid. So the purpose of this study was to find out which liquid has the most

viscosity in it by testing to see which marble will go through the liquid the easiest. First the graduated

cylinders were filled with the same liquid, up to 5 cm from the top and the finish line was marked 5cm

from the bottom. One at a time the marbles were dropped into the cylinders. The marbles were timed

to see how long it took to go through the liquid to the bottom of the cylinders. There were 3 tests with

each liquid to make sure the answers were consistent every time. After the experiment was conducted,

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the data was analyzed and a conclusion was drawn that the thinner the liquid, the quicker the marble

moves through it.

Grace Dexter Absorption of Radiant Energy by Contrasting Colors CHE GENE

The purpose of this project was to test whether lighter or darker colors absorbed more radiant energy.

The hypothesis was: If 2 glasses of water are colored with food coloring (one glass with blue food

coloring and the other with yellow) and they are placed in front of a heat lamp, then the glass colored

with blue food coloring will get warmer than the glass colored with yellow food coloring. The procedure

was done by placing a glass of blue-colored water (glass A) and a glass of yellow-colored water (glass B),

each capped with Styrofoam bowls, in front of a heat lamp with a 150 watt bulb and recording the

temperature of the water every 3 minutes for 30 minutes. The independent variable was the color of

the water and the dependent variable was the temperature of the water. The results showed that in the

final recording, glass A, containing blue water, was 0.99°F above the control glasses and 0.95°F above

glass B, containing yellow water. This showed that the darker color, blue, attracted more light than the

lighter color, yellow. In conclusion, the hypothesis was proven correct.

Andy Russell pHeeling the Effect of Acid Rain: How pH Level Influences the Corrosion Rate of Steel

CHE GENE

The question this experiment attempts to answer is ‘How does acid rain affect the rate of corrosion of

steel?’ The hypothesis is that acid rain would increase the corrosion rate as compared to non-acidic rain.

The background research from various websites and books explained that lower pH levels of acid rain

are more reactive, so the corrosion process should be quicker. The reaction that describes the

formation of rust is: 4Fe + 3O2 = 2Fe2O3 . The hypothesis was tested by soaking steel wool in an acidic

substance, then putting it in a test tube with a thermometer so that the temperature change could be

measured. If the temperature increased more when using a more acidic substance as compared to a

less acidic substance, this would mean that the corrosion process was faster because corrosion is an

exothermic reaction. Exothermic means that the reaction gives off heat. The data showed that the

lower pH levels (increased acidity) did increase the corrosion rate.

Devon Forbush Rusting Out: How Acid Affects the Rate of Corrosion of Different Metals Year 3

CHE GENE

The previous two years of this project measured the exothermic reactions of Fe exposed to acids of

different pH levels and different metals exposed to one acid.

This year, the project compares reactions of elemental and alloy metals exposed to acid.

Hypothesis: When exposed to acid, elemental metals will corrode faster than alloys.

Materials: Fe, Ni, CuZn, Alloy 825, and Alloy 625 samples, muriatic acid, safety equipment, measuring

and recording materials, and containers and handling equipment.

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Method: A metal sample soaked in acid for 5 minutes. The sample was placed in a test tube sealed with

a rubber stopper with a thermometer. The temperature was recorded every minute from 0 to 10 and

again at 15 minutes. Each sample was tested 3 times and an the average was used.

Results: The averages from the elemental metals compared to the alloy metals show the elemental

metals had a higher exothermic reaction than alloy metals. Since previous research shows and

exothermic reaction means corrosion is happening, I conclude that elemental metals corrode faster than

alloy metals. This means my hypothesis was proven.

These findings indicate that alloys, Alloy 625 in particular, can be used in applications where corrosion is

more common like in gas and oil drilling.

Chloe Porter Flaming Fireworks Formula CHE GENE

The objective of this project was to determine how fireworks attain their vibrant colors. The hypothesis

stated that the fireworks contain compounds that release photons as a result of electron excitations.

This photoelectric process instigates when the electrons gain energy and are excited as a result of added

heat. In an attempt to return to ground state, the electrons release photons with a specific wavelength

and energy measure corresponding to the color produced. The energy released when returning to

ground state emits color in the form of photons. The compounds in this experiment were tested by

adding an ionic compound sample to the saturated popsicle stick and then placing it in the flame.

Because these samples emitted color, the hypothesis is true. Fireworks attain color as a result of

electron excitations and photon emissions; the photoelectric process is the accurate science behind

flaming fireworks.

Benjamin Petty Rocketology: Baking Soda + Vinegar = Liftoff! CHE GENE

The title of my science fair project is Rocketology: Baking Soda + Vinegar = Lift Off! My hypothesis is

that mixing white vinegar and baking soda together will cause the film canister’s launch height average

to be 1.5ft higher than balsamic vinegar’s launch height average. The problem I was solving was which

vinegar has more acetic acid, white or balsamic. The purpose of this project is to see if white vinegar

makes the film canister rise higher than the balsamic vinegar.

Ryan Muakkassa Not All Fish Store Aquarium Water Mimics the Ocean Salt Water CHE GENE

Aquariums import many fish and corals from around the world’s oceans. The problem is that an

estimated 99 percent of aquarium fish collected from reefs off countries such as the Philippines and

Indonesia die within a year. The hypothesis is that the water in the fish shop aquariums did not mimic

salt water in the oceans. In this experiment, 10 samples of aquarium water were obtained from four fish

stores in Northeast Ohio. All the samples were then tested for pH, alkalinity, salinity, specific gravity,

magnesium, calcium, phosphate, and nitrate and compared with ocean water parameters. There was a

wide variety in all parameters tested and not a single sample mimicked ocean water. The experiment

results proved the hypothesis was correct because the aquarium sample water did not correlate with

natural salt water found in the ocean reefs. This experiment can help aquarium keepers to pay more

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attention to their aquarium waters to prevent fish and corals from dying in captivity and points to lack of

regulation in this industry.

Carly Caldwell An Endothermic Process: The Instant Cold Pack CHE GENE

Instant cold packs are a very interesting and useful invention. Commercially produced cold packs are

made of two-chamber packages. The main package contains solid calcium ammonium nitrate and a

second inner chamber containing water. The two substances are combined when the inner chamber is

burst open by squeezing the outer chamber. As the solid dissolves into the water, energy is absorbed

from the water which is an endothermic process. This makes the water cold. The science behind the

calcium ammonium nitrate/water instant cold pack and how well it compares to the temperature of an

ice pack was investigated. It was hypothesized that an instant cold pack would be as cold as an ice pack

(0oC). The calcium ammonium nitrate and water contents of an instant cold pack were weighed then

combined. The temperature of the mixture was recorded. This experiment was preformed three times.

The average lowest temperature was 4.3oC. Next, different ratios of calcium ammonium nitrate and

water were combined and the temperatures of the mixtures were measured. This experiment was

repeated three times. A 2:1 ratio of ammonium nitrate to water yielded the lowest average

temperature of 1.3oC. The exterior temperature of three instant cold packs were then measured when

used as instructed on the package. The average lowest temperature measured was 5.3oC. It was

concluded that the instant cold packs do not get as cold as an ice pack.

Sevda Ismailova Cool Water CHE GENE

We did this project because when we eat mints we feel a cool sensation. We decided to test different

mints; Tic Tacs, Life Savers, Mentos, Altoids, IceBreakers Frost and Wintergreen, in hot water to see

which ones could change the temperature. Our hypothesis was that the mints would cool the water due

to the same sensation we felt in our mouths. However, our hypothesis was incorrect since the water

cooled because of the mints' ingredients. We put five mints into a beaker of hot water. We also had a

control beaker of hot water to monitor how fast it cooled off. Then every five minutes we added five

more mints, for a total of 25 minutes, and recorded the water's temperature. Both kinds of IceBreakers

and the Life Savers cooled the most. We discovered there was a difference between sugary mints and

sugar free mints. Sugary mints have menthol which tricks your brain into thinking it's cooling the

temperature of your mouth. Sugar free mints, on the other hand, have a negative heat solution that

actually lowers the temperature of your mouth.

Annika Anderson Temperature Effect CHE GENE

The procedure I used was to first gather the materials. Then pour exactly one third cup tap water into

the 2 cup jar. Next place the 3 cup jar in a space or container that is at 45 degrees Fahrenheit. After that

place the antacid tablet in the water making sure to keep the temperature at 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then stop the stopwatch when the antacid tablet is completely dissolved and there is no solid left. Now

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29

record your results. Next you must clean the jars and do 4 more trials. Then change the temperature to

65 degrees Fahrenheit and repeat this procedure. Finally change the temperature to 85 degrees

Fahrenheit and repeat this procedure. I found out that the higher the temperature the quicker the

antacid tablet dissolves. The average dissolving time at 45 degrees was 143 minutes,the average for 65

degrees was 109 minutes, and the average for 85 degrees was 41 minutes. I believe that they dissolved

the quickest at the highest temperature because antacid tablets are meant to dissolve in your body and

85 degrees is closest to your body temperature. I learned that the temperature does effect the

dissolving rate of antacid tablets. If I did this experiment again I would do more trials and have more

temperatures.

Megan Brinker Decaying Isotopes in Action CHE GENE

My science fair project enables me to observe safely a spectacular display of radioactive decay.

Following the instructions in the procedure, I will be able to isolate a radioactive source and build a

cloud chamber to watch the radioactive decay. Then I will use my cloud chamber to compare radioactive

particles, and find out what makes the isotopes alpha and beta. I think wither the're alpha or beta will

have to do with the waves and I will be able to to base that off of the tracks seen in the cloud chamber

as they decay. With my observations I found out what traits an alpha or beta decaying particles would

posses. Based on the amount, vibrancy, and thickness of the decaying particles in the cloud chamber it

was possible to find out which particles were alpha and which ones were beta.

Matthew Semon Combining Dissimilar Metals CHE GENE

This project was ‘Combining Dissimilar Metals’. The question asked was can the properties of dissimilar

metals be combined. The hypothesis was iron will obtain a copper coating however, the other metals

will not. The materials used were white vinegar, glass containers, copper strips, copper wire, 6-volt

batteries, salt, stop watch, notebook, and nails of iron, stainless steel, aluminum, and brass.

The project was done by connecting the copper strip to the positive terminal of the battery via copper

wire and connecting the nail to the negative terminal of the battery by the same method. The nail and

copper strip were then placed in the glass container filled with the vinegar and salt solution for a period

of one hour. This process was repeated for each type of nail and results were recorded.

The stainless steel and iron nails did exceptionally well retaining an obvious copper coating three out of

three times. Brass performed okay having a copper coating one out of three tests and aluminum

ultimately failed never producing a copper coating.

The results of this experiment show if the right metals are used a coating of one metal can be

transferred onto the surface of another metal. This research is important because it can aid in the

development of rust resistant building materials. This process can also be used to apply a coating of an

expensive metal to a cheaper metal for jewelry to make it less expensive and more durable.

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Kayla Bucci Acidic Orange Juice CHE GENE

The purpose of this experiment was to find out if the temperature orange juice is stored at affects its

acidity. It was also conducted to learn more about an interesting topic, acids and bases. After research

was completed, the hypothesis was stated, if orange juice is stored at different temperatures, then it

will affect its acidity.

After research and preparation for the experiment were completed, the trials began. First, the orange

juice was placed in its set environment until it reached the correct temperature. After that, 29 milliliters

of orange juice was poured into a glass and the pH was determined. This was repeated fifteen times for

all four groups with a total of 60. The four groups included - refrigerator (5’, control group), room

temperature (20’), basement crawl space (16’) and, crock pot (54’).

The data supported the hypothesis that storage temperature affects pH. Both the data and all of the

research also supported the fact that the warmer the orange juice, the lower pH. The lower the pH the

more acidic. Also, the cooler the orange juice the higher the pH. The higher the pH the less acidic. This

is because the heat affects the contraction of hydrogen ions in the orange juice. This is also because of

dissociation, the breaking up of a compound into simpler constituents that are usually capable of

combining under other conditions. In an ionic dissociation like this experiment, the addition of energy in

the form of heat causes molecules of the substance to break up ions which are electrically charged

particles. In conclusion, storage temperature affects orange juice’s pH."

Brevin Shearer Burn Baby Burn: Burn related injuries from blanket fires on infants CHE

GENE

The purpose of this project is to see the relation of the flammability of the blankets to the severity of the

burns on the baby dolls coated in synthetic skin representing those of burns found on living people. In

the US alone burn related deaths are common with around two thousand six hundred and forty people a

year taken from a study in 2011 by the CDC. This experiment is to help show that blanket materials

when caught on fire can leave serious burns that can be life threatening. In order to conduct this

experiment you take newly bought child blankets from a local department store plastic baby dolls, a

lighter, and metal tongs. Next wrap the baby dolls into a blanket. There are two baby dolls both are

covered in a synthetic skin that can be easily made. The dolls blankets are set on fire for a certain

interval of time there are four tests. One doll would be burned at two minutes, and four minutes, the

other is burned at three and five minutes. The results of this test proved that the blankets are not only

highly flammable because of their cotton or nylon fibers resulting in the matter of just two to four

minutes the child would receive mild to severe burns. Although if the child is exposed to a time frame

longer than four minutes it is apparent that the child receives severe third degree burns possible

resulting in death or in another case death by smoke inhalation from the smoke released from the

burning blanket.

Margaret Linder The Effect of Common Household Chemicals on Simulated Body Tissue CHE

Gene

My project was on the effect of household chemicals on the body using steak and chicken heart to

simulate body tissue. The purpose of this project was to show the effects of common chemicals on body

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31

tissue in an extreme way, so as to make more of an impact. To test the project I filled a small container

with a cup of each type of chemical (Bleach, Resolve, Lysol, Febreze, and Comet) and put a small piece of

one type of meat in each container. For example; One piece of chicken heart in a container of bleach,

one piece of steak in a separate container of meat. After analyzing weight, texture, consistency, and

color for six days I came to the conclusion that my hypothesis was wrong. My hypothesis stated that

that the muscle tissue would be more affected by the chemicals when, based on my observations, the

organ tissue was actually more affected. In conclusion the chicken heart (organ tissue) was more

affected than the muscle tissue.

Salvi Kambarova Cool Water CHE GENE

We did this project because when we eat mints we feel a cooling sensation. We decided to test

different mints; Tic Tacs, Life Savers, Mentos, Altoids, IceBreakers Frost and Wintergreen, in hot water

to see which ones could change the temperature. Our hypothesis was that the mints would cool the

water due to the same sensation we felt in our mouths. However, our hypothesis was incorrect since

the water cooled because of the mints' ingredients. We put five mints into a beaker of hot water. We

also had a control beaker of hot water to monitor how fast it cooled off. Then every five minutes we

added five more mints, for a total of 25 minutes, and recorded the water's temperature. Both kinds of

IceBreakers and the Life Savers cooled the most. We discovered there was a difference between sugary

mints and sugar free mints. Sugary mints have menthol which tricks your brain into thinking it's cooling

the temperature of your mouth. Sugar free mints, on the other hand, have a negative heat solution that

actually lowers the temperature of your mouth.

Isaiah Good Rocket Candy CHE GENE

The purpose of this science experiment was to measure how different formulas affect the efficiency of

solid state rocket fuel made with common household items. A fuel and an oxidizer are needed to create

rocket fuel. The fuel was sugar and the oxidizer was potassium nitrate which was in the form of stump

remover. Different additives were added to the rocket fuel and the way the rocket fuel was cooked was

varied to observe the efficiency of each of the four different recipes made. Each recipe was placed

inside a Lego block to simulate a rocket and the remaining fuel was rolled into a one inch test piece. The

burn rate and the temperature of the flame produced for each recipe was measured. In general, the

fuels with iron oxide and corn syrup burned longer and hotter. However, impurities in the iron oxide

may have slowed the burn rate. Adding water to the recipe prevented the sugar from caramelizing and

improved the performance of the fuel. All of the recipes released large amounts of smoke which made

measuring the temperature difficult but enough heat was created to melt the plastic Lego blocks. The

test pieces each had temperatures in excess of 120 degrees Celsius. Understanding how different

recipes of rocket fuel perform will help develop efficient and successful fuels in larger applications such

as launching rockets out of the atmosphere.

Samuel Junker The Effect of Multiple Anodes on Hydrogen Production in the Electrolysis of Water

CHE GENE

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32

One solution to the energy crisis that is currently being researched is the use of hydrogen as a fuel.

Hydrogen fuel is very powerful and can be used in a hydrogen fuel cell to produce clean energy.

However, this hydrogen would be produced using electrolysis, which is not yet efficient enough to make

hydrogen fuel practical. The scientist tested electrolytic cells with different number of anodes to see if

the efficiency would not be affected by the number of anodes, as could be inferred through Faraday's

First Law of Electrolysis. The scientist tested cells with one, two, and three anodes, and measured the

amount of hydrogen gas produced. The one, two, and three anode cells produced an average of 8.17,

8.23, and 8.44 cm3 of hydrogen, and had a range of 1.0, 1.5, and 2.3 cm3, respectively. A trend was

observed in that the amount of hydrogen gas produced increased very slightly (a 3% difference between

one and three anodes) as the number of anodes increased. The scientist concluded, however, that this

trend was the result of increasing inaccuracy as the number of anodes increased, and that the only

legitimate trend present was that an increase in the number of anodes leads to increased

unpredictability in the cell's behavior. These findings suggest that one anode cells would be optimal for

commercial hydrogen production, as these cells would have the most predictable and stable behavior.

Ibrahim Ranginwala What Makes Ice Melt Fastest CHE GENE

This experiment measures which substance melts ice fastest. This topic is important because ice

formation on roads and walkways can cause tremendous damage to vehicles and people. It is important

to find the lowest cost substance that will result in the least amount of environmental damage. The

substances chosen include: salt, calcium chloride, sugar and sand. the test determined which of those

substances melted ice the fastest. The hypothesis was that salt melts ice fastest. The hypothesis was

supported by the results. Salt melted the ice quickest with 61.5%melted. The calcium chloride was a

close second with 50.5% melted.

,The procedure required 5 bowls with 3 ice cubes each. Then 1/4 teaspoon of each substance was added

to the bowls. The last bowl had nothing added. All bowls were put in the refrigerator. Later the bowls

were removed and the amount of liquid was recorded. The remaining ice was melted completely at

room temperature and was measured and recorded. The amount melted while in the refrigerator was

then divided by the total amount of melted liquid to determine the percentage melted by each

substance. This step was repeated for two more trials.

,The results supported the hypothesis that salt melts ice most efficiently. This study is helpful because

there are different substances that can be used and finding the safest most affordable option is

important. Some studies did suggest calcium chloride would work best, but there were some safety

concerns to the environment."

Samantha Rowland Gay Lussac's Law vs. Deflategate CHE GENE

Allegations of cheating in all sports is a common occurrence. The latest accusation occurred against the

New England Patriots during the January 18, 2015 AFC championship game vs. the Indianapolis Colts.

During the game, the Patriots were accused of underinflating their footballs below league standards

(12.5 ‘ 13.5 psi), presumably to gain an advantage. Footballs provided by the Patriots were measured at

12.5 psi at room temperature before the game, pressures at half-time indicated a loss of 2 psi in 11 of

the 12 Patriot balls. This project was designed to evaluate if a change in temperature could result in a

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loss of 2 psi. According to Gay-Lussac’s Law, a change in temperature directly correlates to a change in

pressure. For every one degree decrease in temperature, 0.1 psi is lost. The initial pressures of 13

leather Wilson® footballs were measured at 21.7 °C and then again after 4 hours of refrigeration at 5

°C. Results indicated that each of the test footballs lost approx. 0.9 psi for each degree change in

temperature (a total of approx. 1.44 psi/football), which proves accurate with Gay-Lussac’s Law. A

second component evaluated Tom Brady’s attempted and completed pass data for the past 10 years vs.

temperatures. R2 values (0.0007-0.0117) for Tom Brady’s pass success data indicate that completion

percentage appears not to be driven by temperature or pressure. In addition, P-values indicated that

none of the results showed statistical significance when comparing football pressure to pass completion

success. This provides compelling evidence that the loss of psi per football could have been explained in

part by weather conditions. Historic data indicates that a loss of 2 psi per football was not likely to have

provided the Patriots with a game winning advantage.

Theon Hill How To Make Liquids Disappear In a Cup Using Polymers From A Diaper CHE GENE

By using polymer absorbent compound powder from a baby diaper, liquids such as water, orange juice,

milk, and clear soda, will disappear. As the small granules of polymer power mixes with each liquid; the

two will chemically mix on their own. As the powder polymer absorbs each liquid, the powder granules

can grow up to 15 times its size. The end result will be a flexible polymer gel. The size, mass of the gel

will vary in height based on the type of liquid it has absorbed; other than color, there will not be any

evidence of the liquid absorbed. If all liquids used were of the same color, you could not tell them apart,

unless you took the research further and did comparisons on the chemicals content of the liquids used.

Joshua Alatis Testing Voltage Output in a Chemical Battery Using Electrolytes of Differing Acid and

Base pH CHE GENE

Batteries are all around us in almost everything we use. Since batteries are used everywhere, they have

become the limiting factor of many things. The duration time of a battery is often the usage time of the

device. Therefore the need for a battery with a longer duration is a top priority. The intent of this

experiment is to find what makes a better battery. The main question for this experiment is: What

causes a battery to produce more voltage? This experiment looks at the hypothesis: If stronger acids and

stronger bases are used as the electrolyte substances in a battery, then the voltage will be higher than if

a weaker acid or a weaker base is used as the electrolyte. In the experiment electrolytes ranging all

across the pH scale were tested in a voltaic cell. A digital multimeter was used to measure the voltage

output of each electrolyte. Overall the hypothesis proved accurate with some variations. In conclusion,

this experiment shows that a stronger acid or a stronger base is better as the electrolyte than a weaker

acid or a weaker base as the electrolyte. This project contributes to society by showing how to create a

better battery.

Austin Offenberger Fire Fuels CHE GENE

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The use of charcoal as a major fuel was eventually replaced by coal, which was then replaced by

petroleum. As of 1925 70% of America’s energy was produced by coal. Charcoal is still used for

filtration/purification, pharmaceuticals, and horticulture. The purpose of the project was to determine

which type of fuel would boil water the quickest. The hypothesis was that the coal would boil the water

the fastest. The materials needed include a place to house the fire, a lighter, coal, charcoal, fuel tablets,

water, water container, thermometer, a stopwatch, and a fire extinguisher. The procedure is gather the

materials, add coal to fire area, ignite the fire, time how long it takes for the water to boil, record the

results in log book, repeat with charcoal and fuel tablets. The results were found through testing coal,

charcoal, and fuel tablets and seeing how much time it took for each fuel to boil the water. Through the

testing the hypothesis was proven incorrect and the fuel tablets boiled the water the faster. The project

proved that in a situation where water is needed to be boiled in a short period of time, fuel tablets

would be the best thing to have rather than coal or charcoal.

Katlyn Marion Hot or Cold : Which Cup Will Hold CHE Gene

The purpose behind this investigation was to determine what material , metal, plastic or glass, insulates

water temperatures better. The hypothesis of this experiment stated that the metal cup would insulate

the 100’ water longer and the glass cup will insulate the 0’ water longer. This investigation was

conducted by heating water to 100’, measuring 200 milliliters of the water, and pouring that water into

each of three cups and recording the drop in temperature every minute for the next fifteen minutes.

After recording the data, analyzing it revealed the metal cup insulated the water thee best. The metal

cup’s water temperatures only decreased an average 31’ while the plastic decreased 42’ and the glass

decreased 44’. The cold water was then cooled to 0’, two-hundred milliliters of the water was poured

into each of the three cups. The plastic cup was proven better than any of the other cups for cold water .

The water in the plastic cups only increased an average 4°C, the glass’s increased 5’, and the metal’s

increased 8’.

In conclusion, the metal cup was the best insulator for the hot water and the plastic cup was the best

insulator for the cold water. The outcome disproved the cold water hypothesis, yet upheld the hot

water portion. This investigation would be helpful when people want to have the best type of cups for

certain beverages that need to be kept warm or cold for a certain amount of time.

ANNABELLE HIMES WHICH DECAFFEINATED TEA TYPE CONTAINS THE LEAST AMOUNT OF

CAFFEINE? CHE GENE

The question for the experiment was which decaffeinated tea type contains the least amount of

caffeine? The hypothesis was that decaffeinated white tea would have the least amount of caffeine

when decaffeinated. Regular white tea has less caffeine than the other teas, so it would contain less

caffeine when it is decaffeinated.

The procedure for the experiment was to label five tea cups with masking tape and a marker as follows:

gunpowder tea, decaffeinated black tea, decaffeinated green tea, decaffeinated white tea, and

decaffeinated oolong tea. Tea bags were opened and the loose tea leaves were then placed into their

corresponding labeled cup. The same amount of gunpowder tea pellets were placed into the

corresponding cup. Distilled water was put in a tea pot and brought to a rolling boil (100 degrees C). The

teas then steeped for thirty seconds. Two (2) ml of each tea infusion was put into five test tubes. The tea

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infusions were then cooled. One (1)g of tannic acid and (1) ml of alcohol was diluted with ten (10) ml of

distilled water. The tannic acid solution was then dropped into the gunpowder green tea and results

were recorded. The same procedure was repeated for the other four teas and results were recorded.

The hypothesis was accepted. Decaffeinated white tea had the least amount of caffeine and

decaffeinated black tea had the most caffeine. If this experiment were to be performed again,

decaffeinated coffee could be tested as well as other teas such as herbal. Also, different temperature

ranges could be tested. "

Matthew Simms Will Alka-Seltzer or Heat Affect a Lava Lamp More? CHE GENE

For my experiment I made lava lamps. The purpose of the experiment was to see if Alka-Seltzer or heat

would make a better lava lamp. I believed the lava lamp made with Alka-Seltzer would make a better

lamp, because of the chemical reaction that would take place and the gas it would create. I believed the

gas formed would make this lava lamp better. The experiment allowed me to see a chemical reaction

between an acid and base.

I used two plastic soda bottles in the experiment. I filled the bottles with 3/5 oil and 1/5 water leaving

the other 1/5 empty. I added about ten drops of food coloring to each. I divided Alka-Seltzer tablets in

½ and added them to one of the soda bottles. There was a significant reaction. I did almost the same

thing for the second experiment but instead of Alka-Seltzer I used a heat lamp. This one took longer,

but finally got a reaction.

I believed that the lava lamp made with Alka-Seltzer would have a bigger affect and it did. The Alka-

Seltzer bubbled around a minute each time I added both halves. The heat didn’t work nearly as well,

but did make bubbles. The experiment with the heat could last as long as I wanted if I kept the lamp

plugged in, though the Alka-Seltzer produced the better lava lamp.

In conclusion my hypothesis was proven correct, and it was very interesting to learn how to make a lava

lamp. It was really interesting to watch the reaction that was produced with the Alka-Seltzer tablets.

You could see the gas created and the colorful blobs that were created. I also enjoyed watching the

bubbles start to develop in the second experiment with the heat. It took much longer but once they

started there were a lot of small colored bubbles. The lamps are very cool and the lamps you buy use

heat for the lava lamp effect."

William McDaniel The Mpemba Effect CHE GENE

I did some research on the Mpemba effect and I found out that hot water freezes faster than cold water.

This is called the Mpemba effect. The idea that hotter liquids freeze faster than colder liquids was

strange to me, so I decided to run some tests on it. The purpose of this project is that I want to prove

that hot water freezes faster than cold water under controlled conditions. I put one ounce of water into

a Rubbermaid containers. Then I put the containers in the microwave to heat the water to different

temperatures. I would put the container in the freezer and set the timer for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Then for 15 minutes I would check the temperature of the water every 2 and a half minutes and record

the results. A major flaw in this procedure was that the water was evaporating when I heated it up in

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the microwave, so I changed my procedure. The new procedure was I heated up water to temperatures

within four specific ranges. I measured the water to 75 mL. I put the water into four containers. Then I

put all four containers in the freezer on the same shelf at the same time. I checked the temperature with

the temperature gun every 10 minutes. Then I recorded the temperatures on a chart. This new

procedure kept the water from evaporating out of the top, kept the freezer cold, and kept all four

containers under the same conditions. My results showed that the hot water froze faster than the cold

water in controlled conditions. Positive results only appear after the 50 minute mark. If I did the

experiment again, I would do it much longer to see the temperatures differ more drastically, and I would

try to see how fast the water turns to solid ice. I would also like to use a different method of collecting

the temperature of the water, because the temperature gun only measures the temperature of the top

of the water.

Gretchen Nieberding Baking Soda Versus Baking Powder CHE General Chemistry

Does baking soda work better than baking powder as a leavening agent in cookies and cakes? The

purpose of this project was to see which leavening agent, baking soda or baking powder, would let off

more carbon dioxide while being baked in the oven therefore letting the pastry rise. My data showed

that the answer is no, baking soda does not work better than baking powder as a leavening agent in

cookies and cakes. The cakes and cookies baked using baking powder did rise more than the cookies and

cakes baked using baking soda. I learned that baking soda should not be substituted for baking powder

in cakes because it will leave the cakes unrisen and dense. In cookies otherwise, the baking powder can

be substituted for baking soda because it already has an acidic ingredient in its formula.

Ghiman Mckinney Not so Crystal Clear CHE General Chemistry

Have you ever tried to tell the difference between salt and sugar without tasting them? They both look

alike but they are different in many ways. Salt and Sugar are two items we use every day. They have

distinctive crystal forms. Unless you use a microscope to look at them, the two substances are hard to

distinguish. My hypothesis was that salt will form crystals faster than sugar. I created a saturated

solution using salt, sugar, and boiling water and allowed the solution to grow on a piece of pipe cleaner

for one week. I conducted three trial runs a total of 3 sugar mixtures and 3 salt mixtures. I examined

each mixture daily and recorded my findings each day. Variables included the amount of salt and sugar

used to make the saturated solution was different each time I performed the experiment. I started with

measured amounts but always had to add more salt or sugar to make it saturated. After the week was

over I examined my saturated solutions and on a scale from one to ten, I rated the growth of my crystals

on the pipe cleaner. I then averaged all the numbers from each solution in the experiment. Salt

averaged 6.3 while sugar averaged 6. Day seven proved my hypothesis was correct. I predicted that salt

would form more crystals faster because it takes less energy to crystalize and it’s easier for salt to

separate itself from water to form crystals.

Micaliah Peffer Chemistry: Fabrics to DYE for CHE INOR

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This project in completion is a result of a chemistry experiment on the effects of various fabric

structures and the way the bond with dyes. The intent is to identify the intensity of fabric after dyed in

various dyes qualitatively. ‘If the fabric structure contains more ionic and polar groups then the intensity

due to the dye will increase because there are more bonding sites.’

Various dye solutions were made in jars. Proper dye color and distilled water were only used in this

experiment. They were heated and various fabrics were submersed in the dye baths. After x amount of

time they were removed with tongs patted dry, rinsed, and let to air dry overnight. The intensity is then

recorded qualitatively.

The fabrics reacted differently with the dyes. The amount of time did not change my results it only cause

direct dyes to be more dramatic. The substantive dye remained the same color and shade even when

time was extended. Every fabric remained a different shade.

The fabrics with more polar and ionic groups in their structures were consistently reacting more with the

dye causing their color to become more intense when compared to a control and fabrics dyed in the

same solution

Kathleen Mendenhall Dry Ice and Plastic CHE INOR

The science fair project I chose is how plastics react differently to dry ice. During the research I have

done I have found 5 of the most commonly used plastics in this world today. Each plastic had a product I

used, each plastic had different benefits and doubts. Some were thicker than others, and some were

bendier and some were stiffer.

Each product went through two tests, the first test used a large piece of dry ice, as the other used a

smaller piece of dry ice. I tested them on a platform, and duct taped each side to the platform levitating

the product almost. I couldn’t have anything under it because it would have increased the strength of

the plastic above it. Each plastic was different, but the strongest plastic that was tested with the score of

5 which on my scale is unbreakable. Polyethylene Terephthalate was the 2-liter pop bottle which proved

to be the strongest."

Kendra Ellerbrock The Effect of Chlorine on Water pH CHE INOR

Two independent but related experiments were conducted over a six week period. Testing was done to

see how chlorine affected water pH in both pool water and tap water. The results showed that as

chlorine levels increased, so did water pH. With many variables to control in pools, the tap water test

was done independently for comparison.

Thanh Liem Ha Edible Water Bottles CHE INOR

The purpose of this experiment was to determine what kind of correlation initial spoon volume will have

to encapsulated volume. Sodium alginate was mixed with calcium lactate to create a membrane around

the desired liquid for encapsulation using spoons with differing initial volumes. The bubbles that formed

were then popped and the liquid inside the membranes were collected in a graduated cylinder and the

difference between initial spoon volume and the averages were compared. The experiment shows that

the 9mL spoon resulted in an average of 5.4 mLs of encapsulated water whereas the 8mL spoon resulted

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in an average of 4.67 mLs of encapsulated water. This suggests that initial volume is proportional to an

encapsulated volume because there was a 3.6mL difference between the initial volume and

encapsulated volume for the 9mL spoon and a 3.3mL difference for the 8mL spoon.

Grace Brownsberger The Effect of the Mpemba Effect on Different Freezable Liquids CHE

Inorganic

There is an amazing effect called the Mpemba Effect that shows that hot water can indeed freeze faster

than cold water. There are many ideas as to why this occurs but each do not seem to be the true reason

scientists look for. The effect was found by Erasto Mpemba while he was in high school. The purpose of

this experiment was to see how well this effect worked on other freezable liquids as well. The warmer

liquids for this experiment is if other freezable liquids are tested for the Mpemba Effect, the warmer

liquids will freeze first proving the effect to be present in other liquids. This was done using the cold

weather to freeze the samples and using a remote thermometer to know when it froze. The Mpemba

Effect was found in water, Coke, and salt water but not in Gatorade, therefore supporting the

hypothesis. This shows that not only water is effected by the Mpemba Effect. This principle can have

household implications by increasing freezing efficiency of freezable liquids.

Frances Zwick The Effects of Temperature on Mending Rate in Self-Healing Polymers CHE ORGA

Self-healing polymers are a class of materials that have the ability to heal themselves from damage over

time. This study, investigated a self-healing polymer that uses the nature of the Diels-Alder reaction.

Diels-Alder reactions can be used to form larger molecules by combining two molecules, a diene and

dienophile. Diels-Alder reactions are reversible and temperature dependent. It is the reversibility of the

Diels-Alder reaction that is exploited in the self-healing polymer used in this study. Diels-Alder polymers

are A-B polymers, where the A component has a diene at each end and B fragment has two dienophile

ends. In the experimentation, the ‘A’ compound, a molecule with tetrafurans, 4FS was synthesized in

two-steps. The self-healing polymer was produced by reacting 4FS with the purchased ‘B’ compound,

DPBM. The polymer that was created was scratched and tested at various temperatures to see how

different levels of heat affected the healing rate of the polymer.

Jack Koehl A Study on the Attraction of Fruit Flies to Different Substances CHE ORGA

In order to understand which substance fruit flies like best, one must first know what smells fruit flies

are attracted to and what tastes they are attracted to. It was hypothesized that if fruit flies are given

the choice to go to a mango, an apple, a banana, red wine, IPA beer, white wine, white wine vinegar, red

wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar then they would choose the alcohols over everything else. Fruit flies

were placed in three contained boxes with three different substances in smaller boxes, which were the

traps. The three boxes had the same substances for and equal amount of time. After three days they

were all caught in a trap or dead, the flies were counted and then combined. This was repeated three

times, each time there were different substances used. This was done in three different category

rounds, which were alcohols, fruits and vinegars. The substance with the most caught fruit flies for each

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category did another round except the winning substances were placed into three traps and the traps

were placed in three different boxes with one of each other winning substance. After this the

substances were counted as before except the winner was declared the most attractive substance for

the fruit flies. The end result had red wine as the overall winner with 522 fruit flies caught. This

research can help restaurants, households and supermarkets protect their food and homes from these

insects.

Pallavi Lanka The Viability of Switchable Hydrophilicity Solvents for Lipid Extraction in Algal Biofuel

Production CHE ORGA

Exploration of alternative fuel like algal biofuel is increasing since the increase in fossil fuel consumption

and depletion. Algal biofuel production is an extensive process including cultivating, harvesting, and

processing the algae. The Solvents method, current method to process lipids from algal biomass is

lengthy, energy intensive, and harmful. The Switchable Hydrophilicity Solvents (SHS) Method is a

possible replacement to this method. SHSs can change polarity from hydrophobic to hydrophilic when

CO2 is added, extracting lipids from wet algae. In order to determine the viability of SHSs for algal

biofuel production, a procedure was developed to test the lipid extraction of three SHSs. Percent yield

and time taken for the SHSs and Solvents were analyzed to compare viability. A MANOVA test was

performed; it was concluded there is a statistical difference between the percent yield and time taken (F

= 404.49, p<0.00001; F=256.08, p<0.00001, respectively) of the SHS and Solvents methods. To complete

viability analysis, toxicity was also compared. The Solvents method is less toxic but more volatile.

Therefore, this study implies that the SHS method may replace the Solvents method for lipid extraction

in algal biofuel production. Future studies include industrial models and SHS extraction from different

algal species.

Bryan Borodkin Mesh Size Determination of Oxime Hydrogels with Tunable Mechanical

Properties that Vary with pH and Buffer Strength CHE ORGA

This project analyzes hydrogels and mesh sizes. Hydrogels are substances made mainly of water and can

be used as a scaffold in the body. Mesh size is the distance between two ""tails"" of the components of

the gel system. These two components are a Keyto PEG and a crosslinker. As the mesh size increases,

the gel's properties such as strength decrease. Durable gels can be used for osteoblast application

whereas softer gels can be used for nervous tissue application. Current medicine has not found a single

process to create all scaffold strengths. The question investigated was ""Can a hydrogel system be

developed that produces a range of elasticities, but employs identical chemistry?"". The hypothesis was

""If the buffer strength of the hydrogel system is increased by increasing the amount of sodium

phosphate and citric acid used, then the mesh size will increase causing the mechanical properties of the

hydrogel to weaken.’ This experiment was accomplished by forming the hydrogels and allowing them to

swell in a buffer. The buffer pHs were 5.7, 6.8, and 7.1. Four hydrogels swelled in each pH and strength.

The strengths used were 10mmol, 20mmol, 50mmol, and 100mmol. The swollen ratio was found of each

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gel which was used to determine each gel's mesh size. It was found that as buffer strength and the pH

increase, the mesh size increases as well. Due to errors in experimentation, only data for the 6.8 pH

solution was found. However, this data supports the hypothesis excluding the 10mmol strength which

acted as an outlier.

Joseph Conti Soft Thermoplastic Polyurethane Ionomers CHE orga

Polyurethanes are used for many of the plastic around us. While the basic structure of the polyurethane

is constant, their softness can greatly vary. This is because of the plasticizers added to them to change

their softness. However, recent findings show that these plasticizers diffuse out of the polyurethane,

leaving behind a brittle plastic. This diffusion also has brought about environmental and health

concerns. The purpose of this project was to find a way to permanently plasticize a traditional

thermoplastic polyurethane, and increase its anti-fouling properties for possible medical applications. It

was hypothesized that a polyurethane, chain extended with an ionic complex of an ionic monomer,

coupled with a bulky counter-ion salt, would be permanently plasticized, and have increased antifouling

properties. The three main materials used were a traditional thermoplastic polyurethane, an ionic

monomer, and three bulky counter-ion salts. The first step was to create three ionic complexes , each

containing a different salt, but the same ionic monomer. These complexes were then incorporated into

a polyurethane as it was synthesized. After the polyurethane was synthesized, its hardness was tested

using durometer. The data showed that all the polyurethanes containing the ionic complex were

successfully plasticized. The anti-fouling testing has not yet been conducted, but will be performed in

the near future. If the hypothesis is supported, it will provide an environmentally friendly polyurethane,

with a long life-span, and open new doors for medical device coatings with anti-fouling properties.

Ashley Vosler How 'bout them apples? CHE ORGA

Many people are always advertising or inventing different types of wrappings and bags that supposedly

keep fruit fresh. But how can you tell which ones really work? This project tests whether or not Ziploc

Bags, Vacuum-seal Bags, Debbie Meyer Bags, or Plastic wrap can keep fruit from oxidizing. If an apple is

placed in a Vacuum-seal Bag, then it will stay the freshest. First, the Red Delicious Apples were cut into

fourths. Each fourth of the apple was placed in each bag/wrapping. This process was repeated using a

total of five Red Delicious Apples. When all the apples were placed in their bags, they were put into the

refrigerator and left there for ten hours. The types of bags/wrappings were the independent variable.

The dependent variable was the amount of oxidation on the apples. The temperature of the

refrigerator, amount of time apples were left in the refrigerator, type of apple, knife, and cutting board

were all controlled. The results did support my hypothesis. The Vacuum-seal Bags did not oxidize the

apple. The Ziploc Bags oxidized the apple a little but not a lot. The Debbie Meyer Bags and Plastic Wrap

fully oxidized the apple and turned it brown. Using a Ziploc-Bag or a Vacuum-seal Bag would keep an

apple from oxidizing and turning brown.

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Jarrett Willoughby Predicting the Structure of Biodiesel Fuel via Combustion of Esters CHE

ORGA

Biodiesel fuel, an alternative to the traditional diesel fuel one would buy at the gas station, can be

synthesized via the reaction between methanol and various forms of vegetable oil to form chains of

alkyl-esters is a process known as transesterification. The question this experiment addresses is how the

structure of a given sample of biodiesel fuel can be predicted without knowing the structure of the oil

used in production. This experiment was conducted by developing a calorimetry to device to allow fuel

values of various substances to be collected. The error of this device was evaluated by conducting

several trials with substances whose fuel values were known and coming up with a coefficient of

correction. Various methyl esters were then synthesized and there fuel values were calculated using this

device. It was then compared in various ways with the results calculated after biodiesel fuel was

combusted. Using various mathematical models and a predicted structure for the biodiesel fuel was

developed. This experiment could be in many different applications. For example, given known data

about the chemical structure of the oil used, an accurate fuel value can be calculated using the

mathematical models. These models can also be adapted to predict the structure of other forms of

biodiesel given their fuel value. The applications are endless and the method developed led to a

reasonable biodiesel structure being predicted which was in line with the hypothesis.

Chase Osterday Veggie Batteries CHE ORGA

In my experiment I was curious about which fruits or veggies made the best batteries. To do this I tested

which of six different randomly selected fruits and veggies had the highest amount of voltage and

electric flow. The foods I selected were oranges, grapefruit, olives, lemons, potatoes, and apples. I then

researched how fruits and veggies can be made into batteries along with the background of batteries.

After I found out that Ph affects the voltage and current of food batteries I looked up the average Ph of

the 6 foods I had selected. I then drew my hypothesis using this information. I predicted that the

grapefruit would have the highest electric current and the highest electric voltage. For my test I drew a

line 1½ inch from the bottom on my two conductors, a copper wire and zinc nail, to mark how far they

had to go into the foods. I then placed the conductors 2 inches apart and 1½ inch into each food except

the olive, which was ¾ inch into the olive and ½ of an inch apart. I then used the multimeter to

measure the voltage and current of each food across both probes. I repeated this step twice for each

food. After my testing was complete I found that my hypothesis was incorrect. The grapefruit had

neither the highest current nor voltage. Instead the apple had the highest voltage and the olive had the

highest current. This may be a result of the position of the probes in the food, the condition of the food,

and/or the time the conductors were left in the food before data was collected. In conclusion this

science project showed me both the history and background of batteries, as well as how to make

batteries from fruits, and vegetables.

Josephine Rocca The Effect of Salt Concentration on the Time it Takes Iron to Rust CHE

ORGA

My question was, can salt affect the time it takes iron to rust? My hypothesis was, If salt concentration

of a solution is changed and iron sheets are placed in the solution then the highest concentration of salt

water will show signs of rust first. For my experiment I took 30 cups and filled them with 400 milliliters

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of water. I then took the first five cups and did not add salt. I then took five more cups and increased the

amount of salt by ten. Do this until you have thirty cups with six groups of five. I then put 4 by 6

centimeter sheets of iron and placed them in the saltwater. I checked the iron every hour to see any

signs of corrosion. If I did I would write it down on my data sheet, until each iron sheet had rusted. For

no salt I got an average of 4.2 hours and a standard deviation of 2.83. I got an average of 2.2 hours and a

standard deviation of .70 for ten millimeters of salt, and an average of 3.6 hours and a standard

deviation of .70 for twenty milliliters of salt. For thirty milliliters of salt I obtained an average of 4.8

hours and a standard deviation of 0. I got an average of 5 hours and a standard deviation of 4.24 for

forty milliliters of salt, and an average of 5.6 hours and a standard deviation of .70 for fifty milliliters of

salt. My standard deviation of my averages is .99. This shows high precision because of the little

number. My standard deviations for no salt, thirty milliliters of salt, and forty milliliters was above my

average standard deviation, meaning my data is far spread and unreliable. My standard deviations ten

milliliters, twenty milliliters, and fifty milliliters are below my average standard deviation, meaning my

data is close together and significant. My hypothesis was wrong. I hypothesized that the fifty milliliters

of salt would rust the fastest, but the cups with no salt had rusted the fastest.

Isaiah Wince What juice in kombucha makes the most carbonation? CHE ORGA

What Juice in Kombucha Produces the Most Carbonation? Kombucha is made by fermenting a sweet

tea with a SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast). The fermentation process takes 6-15 days.

To second ferment Kombucha, you add juice or fruit to fermented tea, bottle it and let it brew for 3 days

to 3 weeks. I used 4 juices (apple, grape, grapefruit, pomegranate-blueberry) to second ferment. From

my research, I learned sugar can increase carbonation during the second fermentation process. I

predicted apple juice would make the most carbonation because of its very sugary taste. For my

experiment, I brewed and fermented Kombucha, then bottled it with juice and let it second ferment.

Then I measured which fruit juice produced the most carbonation. In order to determine the level of

carbonation, I covered the bottle tops with balloons and measured the size of the balloon inflation.

Additionally, I measured how much liquid overflowed the bottles when they were opened (or if the

balloon popped). I also used taste, hearing, and visual perception of carbonation. My experiments

revealed grapefruit juice created the most carbonation. Apple juice was close behind grapefruit juice.

My hypothesis was nearly correct.

Madison Smith The Effect of Temperature on the Rising of Bread Dough CHE ORGA

People have been making their own yeast breads for thousands of years. Different convenience

methods for making bread have developed in the last centuries with the development of appliances

such as the oven, refrigerator, and freezer. The goal of this experiment was to determine if using

different temperatures for the bread to rise at were really effective in producing bread more easily. It

was hypothesized that rolls placed in the warmest location would rise the most most and in the shortest

amount of time. Pre-made frozen roll dough was placed in three separate pans at different

temperatures: 145, 73, and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The dough was measured every hour for four hours

which is the recommended rising time for rolls at room temperature. This procedure was repeated five

times in which the height and width of the rolls were recorded. Rolls in the 145 degree Fahrenheit oven

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did rise the fastest but never rose as much as the rolls at room temperature. Rolls in the refrigerator did

not rise at all or only stretched out a little bit in the pans as they thawed. It was concluded that the best

temperature to produce quality bread is around 73 degrees Fahrenheit, or room temperature. While

leaving dough to rise in a warmer area like the oven was faster, the bread that rose there did not reach

the same dimensions as the bread that rose at room temperature. While convenience methods may be

handy, they did not create as good of a product as the conventional method.

Tresor Nshimiye The Amount of Acid in Different Types of Vinegar CHE ORGA---

Organic Chemistry

The project objective is to determine which vinegar had the greatest amount of acid using distilled

white, white wine, and rice vinegar. Out of the three vinegars tested, it was predicted that the distilled

white vinegar would have the highest acidity level, followed by white wine, and lastly, the rice vinegar.

The project followed the method of titration, a way to find the amount of acetic acid in the vinegar using

sodium hydroxide. The negative hydroxyl ions of sodium hydroxide combined with the positive

hydrogen ions of the acetic acid creating a neutral solution of H2O. The buret dripped sodium hydroxide

into the Erlenmeyer flask filled with vinegar, distilled water, and phenolphthalein. When the solution

turned pink, it indicated neutralization.

Based on the amount of sodium hydroxide used, the white wine vinegar contained the highest acidity

level, the distilled white vinegar second, and the rice vinegar lowest. This proves that the hypothesis was

rejected.

This research is important because cooking industries and manufacturers need to control the acidity

level based on its use in society. Knowing the concentration of acid can also help show if foods are

harmful to the body. Scientists may use these type of experiments to help those with illnesses related to

acid. Finally, This technique can be used to help verify that the acid content in foods is what is claimed

by food manufacturers."

Andrew Mayse Effectiveness of a Fuel Stabalizer in E85 CHE Organic chemistry

In this project the tests ran were to find the effectiveness of several fuel stabilizers at keeping a water-

e85 mix suspended. Since all conventional fuels are lighter than water, the water sinks to the bottom of

the fuel. The problem with this being that water will be flowing through fuel lines in the place of e85 or

any other fuel. Obviously water is not flammable so the engine will not start. To combat water build up

in the fuel tank of a car many companies are producing products that in one way or another ‘remove’

water from the bottom of your tank. Five of these products were put to the test, in hopes to find a

supreme fuel stabilizer. In the tests five milliliters of water were combined with 1.25g K2CO3 fully

dissolved in the solution. Then five milliliters e85, which sits on top of the water-potassium carbonate

mixture, was added to the test tubes. Each stabilizer bottle called for equivalent of one drop fuel

stabilizer in a ten milliliter sample size. After adding the fuel stabilizers the test tubes sat, exposed to air,

for at least one day. Next, the samples were submerged in ice, revealing the cloudiness in the samples of

the e85 and the water-potassium carbonate mixture (the cloudy section represents the mix of e85 and

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water-potassium carbonate mixture). The tubes were submerged long enough to show the cloudy

section in the samples. Finally, a measurement was taken (in millimeters) of the cloudy section revealing

a winner.

Anna Grondolsky Does Adding Cobalt Affect an Electrolytic Cell CHE PHY-ENER

Electrolysis can be used for hydrogen gas production by splitting water molecules. This form of

hydrogen gas production is a clean energy producer, as there are no byproducts that harm the

environment. Electrolysis of water is not widely used because it is not as efficient as other forms of

hydrogen gas production. Currently, there is a search for a more efficient way to create hydrogen gas

using electrolysis.

The purpose of this project is to determine if cobalt powder can be used as a catalyst at the cathode or

anode to speed up the hydrogen gas production. Cobalt will create additional pathways in the

electrolyte for electron flow between the reduction and oxidation reactions. When cobalt is added an

increased amount of hydrogen gas is produced without any additional energy applied. This increases

the efficiency of electrolysis.

The hypothesis is that when cobalt is added to the anode and the cathode of an electrolytic cell the pH

will increase at the cathode and will decrease at the anode more rapidly than without Cobalt. The

hypothesis is also that the temperature will increase at the cathode and anode when cobalt is added to

an electrolytic cell.

The materials are: Ideal brand multimeter with temperature gauge, one 200 mL beaker, four half-cell

jars with electrode holders, one Hannah pH meter, one half pound of Cobalt powder, voltage regulator

set to 9 volts with clip leads, two pounds of Magnesium Sulfate, twelve eleven inch paper towels, and

twenty four graphite pencils sharpened on both ends.

The results for the three trials with no cobalt added to the cathode or anode were averaged and are:

initial pH= 5.7 at the cathode, pH after 60 minutes= 8.6 at the cathode, initial pH= 5.7 at the anode, pH

after 60 minutes= 2.9 at the anode. The results for the three trials with Cobalt added to the anode were

averaged and are: initial pH= 5.7 at the cathode, pH after 60 minutes= 9.0 at the cathode, initial pH= 5.7

at the anode, pH after 60 minutes= 3.5 at the anode. The results for the three trials with Cobalt added to

the cathode were averaged and are: initial pH= 5.8 at the cathode, pH after 60 minutes= 9.0 at the

cathode, initial pH= 5.7 at the anode, pH after 60 minutes= 2.9 at the anode. The results for the three

trials with Cobalt added to the cathode and anode were averaged and are: initial pH= 5.8 at the cathode,

pH after 60 minutes= 8.9 at the cathode, initial pH= 5.9 at the anode, pH after 60 minutes= 4.9 at the

anode.

In conclusion, using the scientific method, this project showed that when adding cobalt to an electrolytic

cell’s cathode the pH rises more rapidly at the cathode while the anode is unaffected. When adding

cobalt to both the cathode and the anode, the pH at the cathode increases more rapidly and

significantly slows down the reaction at the anode. When cobalt is added only to the anode, the pH at

the cathode rises slower and the pH at the anode decreases more slowly. Temperature was unaffected

or decreased throughout the trials. Therefore, the hypothesis was partially correct in that when cobalt

was added to the cathode the pH rose more rapidly. The hypothesis was incorrect in that when cobalt

was added to the anode the pH decreased more slowly. The hypothesis was also incorrect in that

temperature did not increase at either the cathode or anode. I learned cobalt could be used as a catalyst

to speed up the electrolysis process at the cathode in the reduction reaction. Hence, cobalt can increase

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the electrolysis rate without additional energy applied to the electrolytic cells. Therefore, cobalt makes

the electrolytic cells more efficient. I also learned that cobalt can be used as an inhibitor in electrolysis

to slow down the anode oxidation reaction.

Skyler Lance Not All Wood Burns the Same CHE PHYS

Which species of wood, amongst five common species (White Oak, Ash, Osage Orange, Walnut, and

Pine) available in the mid-western area of the United States, burns the hottest and produces the most

heat? The temperature at which a specific wood species burns and thus heat produced is related to the

density of the wood species, meaning that the denser a wood is the more volume it has to burn,

resulting in a higher sustained burn temperature, longer burn time, and more heat produced.

Thermochemistry, what this experiment is based on, is the study of heat changes during chemical

reactions. The heat that people feel, and the thermodynamics measured, is the transfer of thermal

energy that occurs between two objects, when they are at different temperatures (Encyclopedia of

Science, Thermochemistry). When the same number and relatively same size pieces of the five species

of wood listed above are burned for the same amount of time, the White Oak wood species will burn

the hottest because it seems to be the densest of the five species of wood. As a result, the collected

data disproves the stated hypothesis in which it was predicted that White Oak would burn the hottest

due to its denseness. Overall Osage Orange wood burned the hottest reaching a max temperature of

912°C. This experiment could be expanded in the future by testing common wood species found in

other areas of the United States, and comparing the measured temperature data and observations with

that collected from this experiment.

Nathan Michalak Which Spray Product Creates the Biggest Bang? CHE PHYS

This science project uses a chemical reaction to find out which spray product produces the biggest

explosion. In this experiment, film canisters are launched by hair spray, body spray, and breath spray.

The materials for this project include a launching device with grill igniter, tire gauge, film canister cap, a

stand to mount it on, Axe body spray, Binaca aerosol breath spray, and hair spray. Three tests were

taken to determine which explosion released the greatest amount of energy. These tests were time in

flight, or the amount of time it takes for the canister to reach the ground after being launched; pressure,

measured by reading the attached tire gauge; and distance, measured by the distance from the point of

explosion to the point of contact with the ground. Sanding the edge of the lid was required to allow the

canister to be released more easily. During this processes, the lid was sanded too much. Because of this,

pressure readings had to be done by holding the canister down and launching it to get a pressure

reading. At the end of the experiment, hair spray gave off the biggest bang in two out of three tests. This

project can help with further customization of new military weapons, construction and easier daily lives.

Claire Kim How does salt, soap, and chlorine affect the surface tension of water? CHE PHYS

The water strider, a water bug, has the ability to ‘walk’ on the surface of the water. This is due to the

surface tension of water. However, various components added into the water can cause the surface

tension to rise or fall. How much weight can different surface tensions hold? Using a flat plastic piece

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and paperclips, it is possible to estimate the surface tension of various liquids: filtered tap water, salt

water, soap water, pond water, chlorine water, and pool water. By taking the weight(g) x 9.8 mN/g

divided by 0.145 m (perimeter of plastic piece), it is possible to calculate the approximate surface

tension of the liquids. Using the known value of the surface tension of pure water (72 mN/m), I find that

a correction perimeter is necessary (~0.4) Among them, pool water had the highest value (~84.4mN/m)

withstanding the weight of up to 8 paperclips, while soapy water couldn’t even hold a single paperclip.

Through this, I learn that soap and other chemicals dumped down the drain are quite detrimental for

the water strider’s habitat.

Rena Ouyang Glow Sticks: How Temperature Affects the Intensity of the Glow CHE PHYS

The purpose of this research was to see how the temperature of an area affected the intensity of the

glow produced by glow sticks. It was hypothesized that the higher the temperature, the higher the

intensity of the glow produced by the glow sticks. To test the hypothesis, water was poured into a

container, and once a temperature was reached, the stopwatch was set to 1 minute and the glow stick

was snapped in the water. After 1 minute, the light intensity of the glow stick was measured, using a

light meter. The averages revealed that the 50.0’ test group was the highest measurement with 97.69

lux , in comparison to the 5.0’ test group (39.58) and the 20.0’ test group (41.37). From the data that

was obtained, it was concluded that the hypothesis was supported. The data leads to this conclusion

because hottest temperature had the highest measurement of light intensity. The data showed was

consistent with the background research. To further study this topic, this question could be revised into

another, such as how the temperature of an area affects the duration of the the glow. More people

could be interested in this topic after learning more about it and begin experimenting further.

Julia Grabinski Effect of Acidity and Surface Area on Corrosion Rate CHE PHYS

This experiment looks into how pH level affects the rate of steel wool corrosion. In addition, the

difference in corrosion rate between super fine and coarse steel wool was investigated. My hypothesis

was that relatively lower pHs (greater acidity) would cause relatively faster corrosion rates. Second, I

hypothesized that the higher surface area steel wool would corrode faster than the coarse steel wool

(CSW) when the other conditions were held constant. Since the corrosion reaction generates heat, the

relative corrosion rates were determined by graphing the rate of temperature increase with the

different aqueous solutions using first coarse and then super fine steel wool (SFSW). Second, all the 1

minute CSW data points were averaged, then all 2 minute CSW data averaged, etc. (up to 15 minutes)

and compared on a graph to all the 1 minute SFSW data, 2 minute SFSW data, etc. (up to 15 minutes).

As hypothesized, in every case, more acidic solutions caused faster rates of corrosion (indicated by a

steeper slope of the change in temperature as a function of time). Interestingly higher surface area did

not affect the rate of corrosion (shown by an identically sloped line of temperature versus time

compared to the CSW). However, the extent of corrosion (indicated by the peak temperature reached)

was noticeably higher with the higher surface area steel wool. This was possibly due to more available

reactive sites on the surface of the SFSW.

Carter Mayhan Chop Chop Fizz Fizz: How particle size affects the rate of a chemical reaction

CHE PHYS

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The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect particle size has on the rate of a chemical

reaction. Research revealed that when the surface area of a particle is increased, it increases the

chances for collisions to occur which results in a faster reaction. Therefore, the hypothesis was if the

particle size of a reactant is decreased (which increases the surface area), then the speed of the

chemical reaction will be faster.

The experiment was conducted by dissolving a total of 45 Alka-Seltzer tablets in water. Three different

‘sizes’ of Alka-Seltzer were used with 15 trials each, but each ‘size’ had the same total amount of Alka-

Seltzer. The three different ‘sizes’ used were whole tablets, tablets cut into eighths, and tablets crushed

into powder. To eliminate temperature as a variable, the temperature of the water was controlled at a

constant temperature. For each trial, the temperature of the water was measured and recorded along

with the time it took for the tablet to completely dissolve. The average reaction time was then

calculated for the three sizes of tablets. The results of this experiment supported the hypothesis. On

average, the reaction time of the tablet cut into eighths was 19.40 seconds faster than the average

reaction time of the whole tablet. The average reaction time of the powdered tablet was 55.07 seconds

faster than the average reaction time of the whole and 35.67 seconds faster than the average reaction

time of the tablet cut into eighths.

Destiny Love Magical Balloon CHE PHYS

I did an experiment called ‘Magical Balloon’. I did it to see if the size of a bottle affects how much gas is

created from yeast to blow up a balloon. What I did was first pour one inch of warm water in each

bottle, a funnel to make sure the water didn’t spill. Next, I poured one yeast packet into each bottle and

swirled it around for a few seconds. Then, I poured one teaspoon of sugar into each bottle and swirled

it around for a few more seconds.

(Note: as I put all the ingredients in the bottles I used a funnel.)

After that, I stretched out each balloon to put on the neck of each bottle. Last, I set each bottle in a

warm place for 20 minutes and observed the magic!

Ethan Wendt Rockets CHE PHYS

This project is about measuring the carbon dioxide released from the chemical reaction between the

baking soda and the different quantities of vinegar. The hypothesis was 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

and 6 teaspoons of vinegar will result in the highest launch of a plastic film canister. Use 1/4 teaspoons

of baking soda for every trial, the amount of vinegar will vary between 6 teaspoons, 5 teaspoons, and 4

teaspoons of vinegar. Each amount of vinegar was tested 3 times. The hypothesis was incorrect, 1/4

teaspoons of baking soda and 4 teaspoons of vinegar launched the highest. 5 teaspoons of vinegar came

in second and 6 teaspoons came in last. This happened because with the 6 teaspoons of vinegar there

was not enough baking soda to react with the baking soda. Vinegar was in excess. That is why the 1/4

teaspoons of baking soda and the 4 teaspoons launched the highest

Lara Detrick How do the kilocalorie amounts of big name food companies compare to the

amount of calories determined by a home made calorimeter? CHE phys

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The reason behind doing ‘Are You Eating What They Say You Are?’ was to see if you can use a

homemade calorimeter to get similar results to what food companies get on their products. I knew they

would be slightly off because they had access to more advanced versions of a calorimeter whereas I was

using two metal cans (one larger than the other) with the small can having water in it and underneath it

was the food that I was burning. This was so I could see how the heat from the burning food would

change the temperature of the water, since a calorie is defined as how much energy is needed to

increase the temperature of water one degree Celsius. My results differed for all the different foods I

tested on. I tested three times on ten different foods. Some of the foods had a range of 20%-27%

difference from what was written on the bag while others had a range of 74%-82% difference. Once I

had all of my data, I realized that the ranges of the numbers were all pretty small (with the exception of

a 43%-66% difference on one of them) which leads me to think that I was doing everything correctly but

I just did not have the advanced materials that the companies have. I saw that this method is no longer

used because of flaws after I had a majority of my project done (which could be one other reason for my

results).

Faith Myers EFFECTIVENESS OF AMMONIUM NITRATE VS. UREA FOR USE IN INSTANT COLD PACKS

CHE PHYS

The purpose of this experiment was to determine if ammonium nitrate or urea in water produce the

lowest temperature for use as a cold compress. Research led to the hypothesis: ammonium nitrate will

produce lower temperatures in solution than urea. The hypothesis was tested by evaluating minimum

water temperatures produced. Eighty grams of ammonium nitrate or urea was poured into a styrofoam

cup containing 100 ml of distilled water. The infrared thermometer was immediately started, recording

temperatures at 1s intervals. The solution was constantly stirred, and temperature recording continued

until the minimum temperature stabilized. The final minimum temperatures (‘C) were recorded along

with the times (seconds) to produce them. Ten trials were performed for each type of chemical for a

total of 20 trials. Mean minimum temperatures, times, and standard deviations were calculated. The

mean minimum solution temperature was -12.4 ‘C (‘=0.5 ‘C) for ammonium nitrate and -4.1 ‘C (‘=0.3 ‘C)

for urea. This result supports the hypothesis. The mean time to produce the minimum temperature was

180s (‘=18s) for ammonium nitrate and 228s (‘=26s) for urea. Therefore, all of the data shows that

ammonium nitrate produces lower mean minimum temperatures, and reaches them more quickly,

demonstrating it is a more effective chemical for use in instant cold packs.

Katie Cigolle Big or Small Pieces? CHE PHYS

This project explores the effect of reactant particle size on the speed of a chemical reaction. Alka-

Seltzer tablets are good for the stomach. Some people take Alka-Seltzer daytime formula and some

people take Alka-Seltzer nighttime formula. Is it possible that one formula of Alka-Seltzer reacts faster

than the other? Also, is it possible that Alka-Seltzer reacts faster in hot water than in cool water?

, In this project Alka-Seltzer was purchased in a day and night formula to be used in the experimental

trials. This insures that there are multiple variables (temperature, size and formula) to analyze in this

experiment. The packs of tablets were opened and cut to different sizes.

,The data was collected all of our data in charts that were printed in excel. All of the data is on charts in

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this report. Ground/ crushed Alka-Seltzer tablets reacted fastest in hot water (~140 degrees). These

results proved the hypothesis true. This was all tested by one person (helper) dropping in the tablet and

the other recording the data and time as it was more than two hands could handle.

Samuel Baker Cooling a Soda: An Experiment in Heat Transfer CHE PHYS

This experiment was conducted to figure out the fastest way to cool a can of soda. Heat is a form of

energy. It is caused by atoms vibrating within a substance. This experiment involves heat transfer which

is the flow of heat from one substance to another. There are four methods of heat transfer; conduction,

convection, radiation, and evaporation. Other scientific concepts that were studied included melting

and freezing points and also how salt affects the freezing point of ice. Because salt is used to melt ice,

the hypothesis was that placing a soda can in a salted ice water bath would lower its temperature faster

than other methods. The procedure was to take the average temperature of 15 cans of soda, in sets of

three. Each set was then placed either in a freezer, refrigerator, chest with ice, chest with water and ice,

or chest with water, ice, and salt. Temperature measurements were taken of the soda in each can every

five minutes. A plastic wrap plug was placed in each can to lessen evaporation. The temperature was

taken with an instant read digital thermometer. The sodas in the refrigerator and freezer had the

lowest temperature change at the end of the experiment. The sodas in the chest with ice and the chest

with ice and water were in the middle of the temperatures. The sodas in the chest with ice, water, and

salt had the most temperature change and were the coldest at the end of the experiment.

Davis Zearley Graphene Oxide and Corrosion CHE PHYS’Physical Chemistry

In the real world, the corrosion of any metal can pose various hazards, such as structural and

mechanical. From this common issue came my project, which is investigating whether graphene oxide

can affect the corrosion rate and properties of steel, which was what I attempted to learn. To conduct

this experiment, 24 pieces of steel were painted with varying ratios of graphene oxide, the independent

variable, and were allowed to corrode. The control groups, which consisted of plain, paint-only, and

water and graphene oxide, were done on a similar way. In this case, the difference of weight present

and the observational qualities in the end would be the dependent variable. After conducting the

experiment, the results showed that the groups containing graphene oxide corroded around five times

as much as the plain steel tile group. This was very unusual, as the graphene oxide is a stable substance

and does not usually corrode. From an observational standpoint, it was evident that the paint used had

very easily corroded. However, around the areas that were densely covered with graphene oxide, the

orange colors of corrosion faded dramatically, showing very little to no corrosion. From this, my original

hypothesis, which was if I add varying amounts of graphene oxide in intervals, then the overall corrosion

would be reduced, was justified or supported. If graphene oxide could be commercially made and

distributed, its filtering effects could be used anywhere from desalination of seawater to protecting the

steel structure of towering buildings.

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Joshua Craddock Heat Release of Metals CHE Physical Chemistry

If brass, copper, aluminum, iron and steel are heated to 150' F, then aluminum will release heat the

fastest. In order to understand the science of this science fair project, the study of conduction was

important. Conduction is the release of heat from one object to another due to a temperature

difference. The heat always transfers from the hotter object to the cooler object no matter what.

Information from testing metal conduction would help engineers and manufacturers in choosing metals

more suitable for equipment, building materials and tools for industry and everyday items.

If conduction depends on surface area, then making sure all the metals were the same size was very

important. The metal samples were 1"" round pipes; they were cut in 1/2' lengths giving the perfect size

to test. So as to make testing easier 3/16"" holes were drilled in samples in order to be able to mount to

wood platform. It was important to keep the room temperature consistent, in order to get accurate

results. Additional materials needed were: Wood platform to mount samples, safety glasses, gloves,

blowtorch, thermal gun and stopwatch. Some metals cool down way faster then others, so to keep from

not having too little or too much data, testing time was set to 20 minutes was the best way to go.

Following these measures allowed for accurate and dependable data.

The metals were set up on a wood stand with a 3/16"" pin, and then one at time, each was heated to

150'F. The temperature was taken in 1-minute increments to get consistent and reliable information,

and then recorded on a note card. This was done 3 times for each metal. The results were then put

onto an excel spreadsheet, comparing the numbers and finding the average temperature per minute.

The data indicating the heat release of each metal was put into graph form, put in the report and on

display for the project. "

Thomas Constantine Which Burner Setting Pops the Most Popcorn? CHE Physical Therapy

The purpose of this project is to find out how to pop the most popcorn without burning any of it.

Through my experiments I want to answer the question, ‘Which burner setting pops the most popcorn?’

I popped 300 kernels of popcorn at four different burner settings: medium-low, medium, medium-high,

and high. I used a stove-top pan with a crank handle to pop the kernels. I counted the number of

unpopped kernels, measured the volume of popped corn, timed how long it took to pop, and observed

the inside color of the popped corn to see if any burned. On average the medium-low setting had 19

unpopped kernels, the medium setting had 1, and the medium-high and high had 0. On average the

medium-low setting popped 5 ¼ cups of popcorn, the medium popped 9 cups, the medium-high

popped 6 5/8 cups and the high popped 6 ¼ cups. The higher the burner setting, the faster the

popcorn popped. At medium-low the inside color was dark, at medium-high it was the lightest, and at

medium and high it was in between. In conclusion, the medium burner setting popped the most

popcorn because it resulted in the highest volume of popped corn with very few unpopped kernels.