Name:______Date:______

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Super Absorbent Sodium Polyacrylate

You will be given sodium polyacrylate and a set of additives including salt, vinegar, nsugar, gelatin and baking soda. You will need to observe what effect those additives have on sodium polyacrylate in water.

Purpose

In this lab, we will discuss concept of polymer conformations and how the additives or environment will create changes in this conformations. We will explore a variety of charges and ionization in water.

Safety, Handling, and Disposal

·  Safety glasses should be worn at all times

·  Sodium polyacrylate is nasal irritant avoid inhaling the compound

·  All waste should be disposed of in properly labeled waste containers

Part I

Materials

·  Sodium Polyacrylate

·  5 vials

·  Food colorant

·  Salt, Vinegar, baking soda, sugar, and gelatin

·  water

Preparation

Time Keeper:

Writer:

Materials Manager:

In this portion of the lab, you will observe the effect of various additives on sodium polyacrylate and water system.

Write down your hypothesis of what will happen when you exposed the swell sodium polyacrylate to various additives:

Additives / Hypotheses
Salt
Vinegar
Baking soda solution
Sugar
Gelatin

Groups 3-4 will start the experiment as instructed:

1.  Collect 6 vials filled with sodium polyacrylate and label the vials 1 through 6.

2.  Place 10 mL of water in each glass vial 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and shake gently for 30 seconds.

3.  Write down your observation after water has been added to the vial.

Observations:

4.  Add blue food dye to vial 1 along with 1 tsp of salt, shake for 30 seconds and write down your observation.

Observations:

5.  Add yellow food dye to vial 2 along with roughly 1 ml of vinegar using plastic pipette, shake for 30 seconds and write down the observation.

Observations:

6.  Add green food dye to vial 3 along with roughly 2 mL of baking soda solution using plastic pipette, shake gently for 30 seconds and write down your observation. (Careful with this step since carbon dioxide is produced, do not screw the lid on too tightly!!)

Observations:

7.  Add red food coloring to vial 4 along with 1 tsp of sugar, shake for 30 seconds and write down your observation.

Observations:

8.  Add 1 tsp of gelatin to vial 5, shake for 30 seconds and write down your observation.

Observations:

Results and Discussion – Make comments your hypotheses and the observations. How did the hypotheses compare to the observations? Why do you think the some of the additives dissolve the gel and others don’t?

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Part II

Purpose

In this lab, salad dressing will be given and you will form a hypothesis as to what will happen when it is added to sodium polyacrylate gel.

Materials

·  Sodium Polyacrylate

·  Water

·  1 vial

·  Salad dressing

Additive / Hypothesis
Salad Dressing

Groups 3-4 will start the experiment as instructed:

1.  Collect vial 6.

2.  Using a plastic pipette add 2 mL of salad dressing to the gel.

3.  Shake and record your observation.

Observations:

Results and Discussion – Make comments your hypotheses and the observations. How did the hypotheses compare to the observations? Why do you think salad dressing dissolved the gel?

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