Name: _______________________________

Alka-Seltzer Surface Area Investigation

Problem/Question: What is the relationship between the surface area of an Alka-
Seltzer tablet and the time it takes for it to dissolve?

Research/Prior knowledge: What is an Alka-seltzer tablet? What does surface

area mean?

Hypothesis: IF the surface area of a tablet increases, THEN the time it

takes to dissolve will ____________________________ (increase,
decrease, not change)
Variables:
 What is changed on purpose? (Independent)

 What is measured as a result? (Dependent)

 What needs to be kept the same? (constants)

Materials:
Quantity
 Investigation:
Procedure/Directions:
Part 1: Set Up
1. Fill three 250 mL beakers with 150 mL of water.
2. Place a “Trial chart” at your lab station.
3. Open three 2-packs of Alka-Seltzer tablets giving you a total of 6 tablets. Select
TWO whole tablets and place on the trial chart in the appropriate boxes on the
chart.
4. Select TWO more tablets. Break ONE TABLET into smaller pieces, and place in
the appropriate box on the chart. Break the SECOND TABLET into pieces and
repeat.
5. Crush ONE of the remaining tablets using the mortar and pestle. Leave in bowl until
ready

Part 2: Action/Experiment
6. Drop one of the WHOLE tablets into beaker one and time how long it takes to
dissolve.
7. Record your time in the table using seconds.
8. Continue Trial one with the broken tablet. Add to water in beaker 2. Time to
dissolve. Record time.
9. Finish Trial one by pouring the crushed tablet into the water in beaker 3. Time.
Record.

Part 3: Set Up and experiment for trial 2

10. Pour water from each beaker into the sink. CAREFULLY rinse each beaker.
Refill to the 150 mL mark.
11. Repeat steps 6-9 using the Trial 2 tablets. (you will have crush the third tablet)

Part 4: Clean Up
12. Empty the beakers and rinse with water.
13. Clean up lab table, and set up for next class.
Name: _____________________________________ Class: ______

Alka-Seltzer Surface Area Lab

Organize Data:

Time to Dissolve (seconds)

Whole Tablet Pieces of tablet Crushed tablet

Trial 1

Trial 2

Average time

Write 1 Qualitative Observation:

Write 1 Quantitative Observation:

Analyze/Analysis:
Based on your data and the things observed, which tablet dissolved the fastest?

Which one dissolved the slowest?

Draw a picture to illustrate what you observed. Please use detail.

Conclusion:
___________(yes/no), the surface area of a tablet (does/does not) affect the time it
takes to dissolve. The hypothesis, IF the surface area of a tablet increases, THEN the
time it takes to dissolve will ____________________________ (increase, decrease, not
change) was (correct/incorrect), BECAUSE the fastest tablet to dissolve was
__________________________ with an average time of _________ seconds, and the
slowest tablet to dissolve was ________________________ with an average time of
________ seconds. In conclusion, the relationship between surface area and time to
dissolve is that the _______________(greater/lesser) the surface area, the
_____________ (more/less) time is needed to dissolve.

Extension/Follow Up:

What could be changed in the experiment above other than surface area?

What question could be written to test the change (variable)?