Dissolving Solids
You might need the help of an adult to work the stove for this basic chemistry science project.
You will need the following materials:
3 cups of water
1 bag of salt
1 measuring spoon (tablespoon)
1 pot
stove
1 wooden spoon for stirring
Instructions:
In a medium to large jar, pour in the three cups of water.
Start putting in tablespoons of salt, and stir in the salt with the wooden spoon. The salt will dissolve in the water.
Keep adding tablespoons of salt until it no longer dissolves when you stir it, and you can see the salt crystals forming at the bottom of the jar. When salt is no longer being dissolved, the mixture is called supersaturated.
Pour the salt water into a pot. If you have a clear ceramic or Pyrex pot, you can also use this so you can see the what happens to the salt.
Put the pot onto the stove, and ask a grown-up to help you turn it on.
Let the water heat up and start stirring the salt water. What is happening to the salt crystals at the bottom?
Concept Explanation:
This is one of the simplest chemistry science project ideas you will find. When a mixture is supersaturated (as the one made in this chemistry science project was), you can dissolve the remaining crystals by heating the mixture. Heat energy can help dissolve crystals by making it more soluble, or forcing the water to dissolve more salt. This may be a little confusing now, but this chemistry science project is a good example of the power of heat. It can change make salt disappear in water even when we thought there was too much salt!
