Rolaid Case Study

1. The Tums tablet is insoluble in water. The water turns foggy when the Tums tablet is added. The particles of the tablet are suspended in the water, therefore the water appeared foggy and opaque. The Alka-Seltzer is soluble in water. The ingredients of Alka-Seltzer and the water react together to produce gas, thus bubbles formed in the solution. Whereas, the Rolaids tablet did not dissolve in water. The powder remained afloat on the surface of the water. Unlike the Tums tablet, Rolaids does not mix with water.

2. It is necessary to stir for five minutes in order to be sure that the end point is reached. Proper mixing of acid and antacid will allow results to be accurate. When hydrochloric acid is initially added into the solution, the Congo Red indicator will immediately detect the low pH of the acid and change to blue, but it is inaccurate because the acid has not reacted with the antacid yet. Stirring the solution will allow the acid and antacid to thoroughly mix together. As both reagents react with each other, the color of the indicator would revert back to its original color, which indicates that the end point is not reached. Stirring the solution will ensure the acid is equally distributed throughout the solution, and effectively reacts with the antacid to reach the correct end point.

3. Hydrochloric acid is a very
The composition of Alka-Seltzer allow the most volume of hydrochloric acid to be neutralized. Half a tablet of Alka-Seltzer can neutralize 46 mL of hydrochloric acid, half a tablet of Tums can only neutralize 38 mL, and half of a Rolaids tablet can neutralize 14 mL. Evidently, the most effective antacid is Alka-Seltzer, because a small amount of it can help to neutralize a significant amount of hydrochloric acid. Whereas, more Tums and Rolaids would need to be consumed in order to reach the same effectiveness as the