The Science of Candy

What to do after the Trick-or-Treating is Over

After costumes are put away and sleepy heads hit their pillows parents are left wondering what to do with the sweet treasures their kids have collected. The over 600 million pounds of candy that Americans purchased for Halloween equates to approximately 2.4 billion dollars spent in 2012 alone.

 So how can we make Halloween candy scientific? Here's a few activities using popular Halloween candy to make Trick-or-Treating fun and a great learning experience.  

Dots Molecules:

Materials: Dots and toothpicks

Water (H20) is the most significant liquid on Earth and one that children are most familiar with. By following the steps below you can create a tasty, sweet model of a water molecule.

Procedure:

• Each atom in a water molecule should be a different color. example: Hydrogen= Red, Oxygen= Green
• Using two your toothpicks attach 2 Hydrogen atoms to 1 Oxygen atom. 

Keep It Going: Take your Dots activity one step further by creating a C02 (Carbon Dioxide, the gas we breathe out) model. 

Candy Chromatography:

Materials: coffee filter, Skittles, water, salt, tin foil, pencil, clear glass cup

Dyes give candy their bright, fun colors. Inside of candy dyes are pigments of color. Different dye colors are created using mixtures of various pigments. 

Procedure: 

• On  a piece of tinfoil evenly space a drop of water for each Skittle color.
• Place each piece of candy on a drop of water and allow the color to dissolve. You can throw away or eat the candy after the color dissolves. 
• Cut the coffee filter into a 3" x 3" square. Using a pencil (ink will run) draw a line approximately 1/2 an inch from the bottom of the filter.
• Place a dot for each Skittle color along the line (evenly spaced).
• Underneath each dot label the color (ie: R= Red)
• Using a toothpick (one for each color) transfer the dye from your tinfoil to your coffee filter. Be sure to place each color on corresponding letter. Allow the liquid to dry and repeat the process 2 more times. (You want to get as much pigment on your filter as possible)

While your colored liquids are drying you can prepare the salt water for the next step of the experiment. 

• In a bowl pour  one cup of water and add 1/8 tsp. of salt, mix well. 
• Pour the saltwater into the cup (just enough to cover the bottom). 
• Place the coffee filter in the cup of water (color marks towards the bottom but not touching the water)

You will observe the saltwater travel up the coffee filter using a capillary action. This is able to happen because the loose fibers in the coffee filter act as narrow capillary tubes. The capillary action will move the pigment along with it. Pigments will travel different distances based on their density. The dots of dye will also separate into different colors. 

Keep it going: You can repeat this experiment by using water based markers, juice or anything that contains dye. 

 

Today is National Popcorn Day!

This innovation that is indigenous North America has come a long way in its 5,000 year history.

Did you know?...

• Popcorn is the only type of corn that will pop.
• Popcorn has been consumed for thousands of years.
• Native American tribes flavored popcorn and even made soups and beer with popcorn.
• Some Native American tribes believed that spirits lived inside kernels of popcorn.
•  The first commercial popcorn popper was engineered in 1885.
• A single kernel of popcorn can reach up to 347 degrees Fahrenheit before it pops.
• Americans eat enough popcorn each year to fill the Empire State Building 18 times. That's 17 billion quarts of popcorn!
• Popcorn needs to contain about 13-14% moisture to pop. 
• Unpopped corn kernels are called "old maids."
• Popcorn comes in two different types: Snowflake and Mushroom
• In 1945 Perry Spencer (credited for engineering the first microwave) was working on an active radar set and noticed that his chocolate bar in his pocket had melted from the microwaves. His first experiment to cook using microwaves was popcorn!
• A kernel reaches approx. 135psi (pounds per square inch) of pressure at the time it pops.

The Science of Popcorn!

A kernel of popcorn, or zea mays everta is full of SCIENCE! The hull, or hard exterior shell of a kernel contains a soft, starchy endosperm and water.  A single kernel of popcorn is made up of 13-15 percent water. As the kernel heats up the water inside turns to steam which exerts lots of pressure onto the hull (the outer covering of the seed). The hull is impermeable because its cellulose molecules are arranged in a highly ordered pattern.  As the pressure inside the hull builds up the starch molecules begin to unwind. Once the kernel pops the drop in pressure and release of steam cause the starch and proteins in the endosperm to expand. Air from the outside of the kernel allows it to cool and 'viola' you have a delicious, fluffy treat!