micronemesis...
The question seems to be one which is commonly explored
in science fairs. The following projects in the
California State Science Fair, provide the results
you are seeking:
Project J0521, by Dana L. Starrh
"Objectives/Goals
Which fluid/liquid will produce more hydrogen through
electroysis; tap water, Sprite, Coca Cola, aspirin,
baking soda, white vinegar, lemon juice, or Windex?"
"Results
After letting the Seperator 2002 work for an hour I
would measure the results. I did this three times and
recorded how many inches of hydrogen each fluid
produced. The replications showed that Baking soda
produced the most hydrogen, followed by the vinegar,
lemon juice, Coke, aspirin, Windex, Sprite and tap
water. This was not what I had stated in my hypothesis
which I had made based on the ph balance of each
fluid."
"Conclusions/Discussion
In looking at the results of the test, the baking soda
produced H+ the fastest. According to the reasearch
on PH, and baking soda having such a small amount of H+
in comparison to other liquids tested, it should have
produced it the slowest. Putting the baking soda aside,
vinegar and lemon juice did produce H+ the fastest,
which was my hypothesis./...Then the question became
why? Maybe it is not the PH of a solution that governs
the amount of H+ produced. So I did more research with
my dad on electrolysis and conductivity. I discovered
that electrolysis can not happen if the fluid can not
conduct eletricity. The greater the conductivity of the
fluid the greater the electrolysis process. Therefore I
concluded that the Hydrogen Separator 2002 told me which
fluid conducted electricity better. Therefore the reason
baking soda was so fast in producing H+ is probably due
to its ability to conduct electricity better."
and, Project J0522, by Melody N. Tehrani
"Objectives/Goals
To determine which solutions will conduct electricity
the best, and why."
"Methods/Materials
...water; salt; vinegar; baking soda; baking powder;
lemon juice; cranberry juice."
"Results
Water did not conduct very much electricity. Baking
powder was able to conduct more electricity with a
direct current of 147mA."
"Conclusions/Discussion
I came to the conclusion that tap water alone can conduct
electricity, but not very well. Acidic solutions were not
the best conductors of electricity; baking soda was. This
was because of the molecular bonds of the baking powder
solutions. Because it had more ions, it created a greater
amount of electric charge."
From the University of Southern California website:
http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/Current/Projects/J05.pdf
Dana didn't include a salt solution in her tests, as did Melody.
While Melody did not rank her solutions in order of
conductivity, as Dana did, she nonetheless makes it
clear that, like Dana, she found baking soda to be the
most conductive. She also concludes that acidic solutions,
such as the vinegar and lemon juice she tested, are not
the best conductors of electricity. Salt, therefore, fell
between baking soda and these particular acidic solutions.
An excellent resource on electrolytes, acids, bases and salts
is found on the Chemistry Coach website, by Bob Jacobs:
http://www.chemistrycoach.com/acids.htm
On this site, it becomes clear that it is the ionization of
a chemical which produces its electrolytic quality, and that
STRONG acids, such as nitric acid, and hydrochloric acid can
be VERY electrolytic. It is the relative weakness of the acids
in lemon juice and vinegar which make them poor conductors.
"A strong acid ionizes 100%../.. Because HCl is a strong acid,
the reaction goes to completion, leaving no HCl."
Please do not rate this answer until you are satisfied that
the answer cannot be improved upon by means of a dialog with
the researcher through the "Request for Clarification" process.
sublime1-ga
Searches done, via Google:
salt "baking soda" lemon conductivity
://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=salt+%22baking+soda%22+lemon+conductivity
electrolytes salts bases acids
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=electrolytes+salts+bases+acids&btnG=Google+Search |
