Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions

Question

I wanted to determine which endothermic combination will have the highest decrease. Then I wanted to determine which exothermic combination will have the highest increase.

Hypothesis

My hypothesis for the highest decrease was Baking Soda and Vinegar. My Hypothesis for the highest increase was Hydrogen Peroxide and Dry Yeast.

Procedure

To do my test, I first had to pick out 1 liquid and additive (solid). For instance I first tested Water and epsom salts. I would get the liquid, in this case water, and put in 150 ml in a beaker. This was important because I needed to test the same amount of ml per liquid. Next, I put a thermometer in the liquid and recorded the temperature in Celsius. Then, I added 5 teaspoons of the additive. I put a timer and waited 2 minutes. When the 2 minutes were up I would record the temperature in Celsius. After that I compare the before and after temperatures. If the After temperature was higher than the before, then it is considered exothermic. Otherwise it is endothermic. After that I repeat all the steps and only change the liquid and additive until I finish my observation.

Conclusion

The result for the highest decrease combination was Vinegar and Baking Soda with a 7 C decrease. The result for the highest increase combination was Hydrogen Peroxide and Dry Yeast with a 14 C increase. Both of my hypotheses were correct. I could have improved this experiment by testing more liquids with more additives and increase the amount of testing so I could see if the temperature would stay at the same rate of increase or decrease.

Abstract

Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions

For a while, I had always wanted to try out chemical reactions. I knew that most reactions would fall into 2 categories; endothermic, which absorbs heat and decreases the temperature, and exothermic, which releases heat and increases the temperature. When I decided to test chemical reactions, I wanted to figure out which combinations will have the highest temperature increase. Then I wanted to figure out which will have the highest temperature decrease. My hypothesis for the one with the highest increase was Hydrogen Peroxide and Dry Yeast because it seems like a combo that would produce a lot of heat. My hypothesis for the highest decrease was Baking Soda and Vinegar because when you add Baking Soda to Vinegar the liquid it. However, I wouldn’t know until test it.

I tested each combination once and for the ones I was unsure about I tested twice. The first test was Water and Epsom Salts. The Before temperature was 19 C and the After temperature was 16 C. It was a 3 C decrease, thus making it endothermic. I repeated this and got the Before temperature as 19 C and the After temperature as 17 C, with a 2 C decrease. This concluded that the combination is endothermic. The next test I did was Vinegar and Baking Soda. The Before temperature was 17 C and the After temperature was 10 C. I tested this again and the Before temperature was 18 C and the After temperature was 11 C. Both had a 7 C decrease, so it was considered Endothermic. The test after that was Vinegar and 1 steel wool pad. The Before temperature was 17 C and the After temperature was 19 C. It was a 2 C increase, thus making it exothermic. The test after that one was Hydrogen Peroxide and Dry Yeast. The Before temperature was 18 C and the after temperature was 28 C, with a 10 C increase. I tested this again and the Before temperature was 18 C and the After temperature was 32 C. It was a 14 C increase, thus making it Exothermic.