Lab Report: Distilled Water

Science Fair Checkpoint #3

Materials:

Disposable Gloves
Timer
Test tubes
Thermometer
Steel Wool
Scissors
Ruler
Lemon Juice
Orange Juice
Vinegar
Distilled Water
Four Small Bowls
Thin Towel
Tall plastic cup Graph Paper

Procedure:

Before beginning your experiment, make sure that the distilled water has been opened and exposed to the air for at least a few hours. This will allow it to absorb some carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and lower its pH from a level of about 7 to about 5.8. The distilled water will act as a model for "normal" rainwater, which has a pH of about 5.6.
The three acids (Orange juice, Lemon juice, and Vinegar) you have chosen will act as three different models for acid rain, each with a different pH level.
Make sure all your materials are at room
Using the ruler, measure 1 inch (in.) along the length of a steel wool pad. Cut across the width of the pad with the scissors at the 1-in. mark. Set the cut strip aside. Continue through the width of the pad, at 1-in. intervals, until it is used up. Repeat step 2 for two or more pads, or until you have a total of fifteen 1-in. strips of steel wool. 3. Pour approximately 1 cup of your first acid into a small bowl. 4. Pour approximately 1 cup of your second acid into a second small bowl. 5. Pour approximately 1 cup of your third acid into a third small bowl. 6. Pour approximately 1 cup of the distilled water that has been exposed to the air for at least a few hours into a fourth small bowl.

Testing Your Rain Models

Have your thin kitchen towel and plastic cup nearby.
Thread the rubber stopper onto the thermometer probe.
Place the rubber stopper, with its attached probe, inside the test tube. Record the temperature of the thermometer in your lab notebook. This will be your temperature at "time equals