Energy Transfer Device: Lava Lamp

2. Written description of your design including steps of energy transfer

We as a group chose this plastic bottle because was it was long and clear which made it easier
for us to see the reaction and the bubbles rising up. In this design we had water at the bottom,
dyed red and then baby oil on top of the water. In order to start the reaction we had to put a
tablet of alka-seltzer into the bottle to create bubbles. The energy goes from chemical to kinetic,
the alka-seltzer has sodium bicarbonate and citrate acid which reacts with the water and causes
bubbles and the kinetic energy comes from the bubbles moving through the baby oil.
3. Modifications you made based on class experiments/data collected and WHY you made each
modification (science reasoning)

Initial Final Temperature Amount Q=Heat energy

Temperature

Boiling water 18.7C 100C 400 ml 135,000J

Sodium acetate 18.7C 22.7C 11.1 grams with 100 ml of 1,672J

water

Calcium 18.7C 28.5C 11 gram with 100 ml of 4,096J

chloride water
Alka-seltzers unknown unknown 6 tablets Can’t be calculated due to lack
of information

We started off by using boiling water to heat up the canola oil, which did not work. By using the
boiling water first we had a better understanding of how we could start. Turns out there was too
much liquid for the boiling water to heat up. We proceed to take out half of the oil, it produced a
very tiny amount of bubbles but there was not enough heat energy for the canola oil to heat up.
In the end it just melted the bottle. We also tried to heat up the bottle by using sodium acetate
and calcium chloride. We filled the beaker with water and filled it up to the oil in the bottle. Then
we added the chemicals individually. They both started at 18.7 degree celsius, the sodium
acetate had a final temperature of 22.7 degree celsius. So overall, the temperature change was
4 degree celsius which was not enough to heat up the oil. The calcium chloride had a final
temperature of 28.5 degree celsius. The difference in temperature was 9.8 degree celsius which
was a big difference compared to the others but was not enough for it to heat up canola oil. We
chose these chemicals because we did a lab on the calcium chloride which showed that the
temperature rises when added to water. The group thought that if we put enough of calcium
chloride then it would create bubbles, sadly we were wrong. One of our members saw online
that if you put sodium acetate in water it would create heat also, so we tested it out and it also
did not work. Lastly, we chose the alka-seltzers. It was our last choice because when doing prior
research we thought doing this would be an easy way out. Due to our lack of information about
it we could not calculate the amount of heat energy.
4. Technical Specifications for your energy device including:
Definitions of energy sources manifested
- Heat energy: “is the result of the movement of tiny particles called atoms, molecules or
ions in solids, liquids and gases. Heat energy can be transferred from one object to
another.”
Measurement of energy output
It is seen in the table above
Measurement of energy transfers
Could not be determined
Molecular Blueprints
5. Main selling points of your design
We chose this design because it was a simple way to show energy transfer. If a child wanted to
learn about chemistry and how some chemicals react with water they can do a project just like
this and learn about it. We used household items which makes it save for children.