Acids

By 7-12

Question
Which type of acid mixed with baking soda will produce the greatest hang time on a rocket?

Hypothesis
If I mix carbonic acid with baking soda, then the rocket will go higher than if I mix citric acid with baking soda because
its pH is 3.6 rather than 3.2.

Carbonic Acid
Carbonic acid exists for only a tiny fraction of a second when carbon dioxide gas dissolves in water before changing
into a mix of protons and bicarbonate anions. Carbonic acid dissolves in water, which is why it's possible to add it to

beverages. This is why I am using freshly-opened coca-cola. It is best known as a component of most aerated
drinks, such as sodas and soft drinks. The acid will be weak, though, because it is mixed with many other components.

Citric Acid
Another independent variable that I have is citric acid. Citric acid is a weak organic acid found in citrus fruits. Citric
acid is normally used in cleaning and food seasoning. When researching, I found that when mixed with water, citric

acid and carbonic acid are the same. Mixed with water, however, the sodium and bicarbonate separate from one
another and the bicarbonate reacts with the citric acid. This produces a compound called carbonic acid. This is strange,

because I am also testing carbonic acid.

Acetic Acid
My control is vinegar, or acetic acid. Vinegar is a liquid consisting of about 520% acetic acid. Vinegar is also a
common ingredient in countless homemade cleaners and is especially helpful for cleaning household appliances.

Acetic acid is a two-carbon carboxylic acid. Carboxylic acid is any of a class of organic compounds in which a carbon
atom is bonded to an oxygen atom by a double bond and to a hydroxyl group by a single bond. In the presence of

water, the carboxylic acids don't dimerise. Instead, hydrogen bonds are formed between water molecules and individual
molecules of acid. This means that vinegar wont dissolve or combine with water, unlike carbonic acid.

Materials
1 film canister (Reuse this one each trial)

60 teaspoons of baking soda

20 tablespoons/20 teaspoons of vinegar

Safety goggles

20 tablespoons/20 teaspoons of lemon juice

Smart Phone

20 tablespoons/20 teaspoons of regular coca-

Computer

cola (pour into measuring utensil right after the

bottle is opened and store in a room temperature

place)

Procedure
1. Gather all materials
2. Get into an area with no wind (Ex. Garage)
3. Pour in 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of vinegar into the canister
4. Start recording on smartphone that is pointed at canister
5. Dump 1 teaspoon of baking soda into the same canister
6. Dump 1 teaspoon of baking soda into the same canister

Procedure Part 2
7. Quickly attach the lid and stand back
8. After the lid pops up and lands, stop recording

9. Rinse and dry canister

10. Repeat steps 3-8 19 more times

11. Repeat steps 3-10 with lemon juice and coca-cola. Remember with the coke to do the experiment immediately
after opening the bottle. I opened a new bottle for every test.

12. Analyze the videos on a computer to calculate hang time.

Data-Vinegar
Trial Number

Time (Seconds)

Trial Number Time (Seconds)

Fail

11

1.6

1.2

12

Fail

1.4

13

1.1

Fail

14

1.3

1.4

15

1.4

1.3

16

Fail

Fail

17

1.2

1.4

18

1.1

Fail

19

Fail

10

1.2

20

1.2

Data-Lemon Juice
Trial Number

Time (Seconds)

Trial Number Time (Seconds)

1.2

11

1.3

1.2

12

1.1

1.3

13

1.3

1.1

14

1.2

1.6

15

Fail

1.3

16

1.3

1.5

17

1.4

1.3

18

1.3

1.3

19

1.4

10

1.4

20

1.2

Data-Coca Cola
When I tested Coca Cola, the chemical reaction reached the top of the lid, but could never pop it off. Therefore, I have no
data for my carbonic acid representative.

Comparing Data

The average for Coca Cola is 0, for lemon juice it is 1.3 seconds, and for vinegar it is 1.3 also.

Conclusion
In conclusion, my hypothesis was incorrect because the carbonic acid representative didnt make the film canister lid
pop off at all. Since carbonic acid only exists right when the soda bottle/can is open and I couldnt test it exactly when

this happened, so therefore there was not a large reaction. The bubbles from the chemical reaction went to the top of
the canister, but didnt have enough force to pop it off. The lemon juice produced an average lid hang time of 1.3

seconds and vinegar had an average lid hang time of 1.3 seconds, also. The vinegar had a very quick reaction, so it was
hard to get the lid on in time and some of my trials got messed up. The lemon juice had a delayed reaction, but still

produced a long hang time.